Showtime (Sat., Nov. 21, 10 p.m. ET)
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Showtime does it again. First they gave us TV's best and freshest sitcom, Garry Shandling. Now they give us Super Dave, TV's weirdest new show, a comedy cleverly disguised as an action-adventure-sports-and-variety series. Bob (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour) Einstein—a genius at deadpan—plays Super Dave, a stuntman whose best stunt is blowing up his own ego. Dave used to be a regular on Showtime's Bizarre, but now he has his own sports complex, his own line of basketball shoes "made specifically for white people who can't jump" and his own show. He opens the first episode with perilous daredevil driving—but that turns into a gag I don't want to give away. Next he chats with a live studio audience, but that ends with another surprise I won't spoil. Then he beats all records for the longest set-up for a single gag in the history of laughter, devoting nearly half the show to an elaborate, jet-propelled slam-dunking trick that ends in yet one more punchline I dare not ruin. About all I can safely reveal is that Super Dave has guest stars—you'll hear a nice song from Ray Charles and you'll see four young athletes perform some wow-worthy acrobatic basketball tricks. But Dave guarantees thrills, trills, chills and chortles. So what more can you ask for?
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