Comedy Premium League Review: Sparse Jokes Don’t Make Up for the Puzzling Format

On 20 August, Netflix release 4 episodes of its latest comedy show Comedy Premium League (CPL) which pits some of India’s ‘premium’ comics against each other, in teams. The show, reminiscent of Amazon Prime’s Comicstaan, left me with a question right off the bat: What are they competing for?

Comicstaan clearly had a value attached to the win: fame. The comic that won the show would of course, get their name etched on the ‘comedy hall-of-fame’. But the comics on CPL already have their names on the wall. Not that there is anything wrong with having a comedy show just for comedy’s sake but a competition without a ‘grand prize’ (unless one was mentioned and I missed it?) seems rather lacklustre.

To set a base, there are four teams, namely: ‘Gharelu Gilaharis’ with Kenny Sebastian, Kaneez Surka, Prashasti Singh, and Aakash Gupta; ‘IDGAF Iguanas’ with Sumukhi Suresh, Sumaira Shaikh, Rohan Joshi, and Tanmay Bhat; ‘Naazuk Nevle’ with Mallika Dua, Urooj Ashfaq, Rahul Subramaniam, and Rahul Dua; and ‘Lovable Langoors’ with Amit Tandon, Rytasha Rathod, Samay Raina, and Aadar Malik.

Comedy sets are tough, no argument there. It’s tough to predict when a joke lands and when it flops and that’s something that is part-and-parcel of a comedy routine. However, when you pit some of the best comics against each other, the bar is set high and Comedy Premium League is full of hits and misses. However, there is a silver lining: if you brave through the first episode, the show becomes funnier.

The main issue with the Netflix show is perhaps its format, it cages the performers; some of whom excel in genres like improv. That is evident especially since the interactions (especially the banter) between the comics off-stage is sometimes funnier than the performances: Rahul Dua’s unwavering rivalry with the score-board, the back and forth between the contestants and host Prajakta Kohli is hilarious sometimes.

The format of the show borrows from many (extremely successful) comedy genres like those popularised by shows like Whose Line is it Anyway? and SNL. Comedy Premium League is almost saturated with experimentation and leaves little room for the comics to truly shine. There are ample cuss words which do, sometimes, supplement the material but as is the danger with them, some jokes use them as punchlines. That is when the use of the word ‘joke’ is liberal rather than literal.

The segment ‘Punchline’ which acts as a tie-breaker between the two bottom teams every episode seems to go on for way too long, as do the debate rounds, titled Tu Tu Main Main. The host presents them as ‘comedy debate rounds’, I won’t. While the sides battle well with clever points, they are rarely funny, and they’re rife with personal jibes.

The personal digs are funny…when done right. For instance, the running gag about Samay Rana’s popular chess streams garner some laughs, the stand-up routines by IDGAF Iguanas in the first episode is also humorous (though there are some jokes, especially the ‘fat jokes’, that should’ve been retired a few years ago and that’s true for the entire show). However, in the debate round, the personal digs create a tense and awkward atmosphere at one point; the second-hand cringe is palpable and time seems to stop.

Despite that, there are things to look forward to. Most of the comics on the show are easily likeable and that keeps us going. There is, however, another issue there. If you don’t follow these comics (it would be naïve to assume everyone does), some of the jokes might mean nothing to you. If you’ve never seen Tanmay Bhat’s YouTube videos, you won’t understand the references. [P.S. The infamous AIB (of which Tanmay Bhat and Rohan Joshi were members) is mentioned way too many times for comfort.]

All hope is not lost though. Since the show seems to struggle at some points, the ones that do well stand out. Kenny Sebastian, Rahul Dua, and Rahul Subramaniam keep the humour quotient consistent from their seats, Kaneez Surka is popular for improv and she has her moments on the show too. Any time Urooj Ashfaq, Prashasti Singh, Aakash Gupta, and Mallika Dua take on a character, laughs are guaranteed (look out for Urooj as the ‘naalayak intern’, Prashasti and Aakash as Thandi Chopra and Hawa Das).

The set ‘Dance of Democracy’ by the ‘IDGAF Iguanas’ is a well-written satire about India’s politics, media, and the US election. It’s clever and that makes up for the lack of 'typical’ jokes. The AC and fan skit by the ‘Gharelu Gilaharis’ stands out, and so does Sumukhi Suresh’s stand-up about vaccines.

Overall, Comedy Premium League is enjoyable if you skip the unbearable bits and make peace with some of the bits you don't. With that method, you end up with a haphazard comedy special that you might end up enjoying. The Indian comedy scene is often criticised for the lack of women put forward but one finds solace in a show with a great mix of comics, but it could’ve done better with a more condensed format.

People might argue that comparing Indian comedy specials to iconic acts like Bo Burnham’s Make Happy, Hasan Minhaj’s Homecoming King, and Hannah Gadsby’s Douglas (take these are recommendations if you must) is unfair; but one thing is clear: maybe it’s time we start.