Watching reruns of old TV shows means there’s either nothing to watch on TV that night or some of the old shows are better than the new ones, which few would contest. When it comes to comedy with a definite cannabis twist, though, there is no statute of limitations on laughs, and no show is more brilliant and hilarious than Comedy Central’s Key & Peele, the weed-altered brainchild of improv masters Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. Although they have both deservedly moved on and up in their careers and are no longer a duo, it is unlikely, unless they team up again somewhere down the road, that they will ever again produce brain-tickling, stoned-out skits like they did for Key & Peele. Thankfully, we can watch five years of reruns of shows or individual skits on YouTube. So tune in whenever you want, wherever you are, because Key & Peele is still the funniest show on the air. Reruns or not, they are always ON.

What makes Key & Peele arguably the most innovative comedy show to break the small-screen barrier this century is a combination of sheer talent and high production values to match, something rare for a TV comedy show. As a result, the quality of their shows hover somewhere between HBO and cinema, adding an uncommon breadth and depth that elevate their sketches to sustain repeated watchings. But it is their performances that ultimately form the core of their appeal. Their improv skills are unequaled and their level of commitment to their craft exceeds 100%. They never compromise for convenience or surrender to conformity. Clearly. their mission is to excel intellectually, emotionally, physically and creatively, and they take no prisoners in their relentless pursuit of domination in all areas in each and every skit.
Key & Peele have a sketch for everything. They are unsparing in their range of material to complement the over-the-top performances of their costumed characters, and they’re color blind and unafraid of controversy. They take on drugs, racism, homophobia, gangs, pop, white and black culture and violence in America with the accuracy and observational skills of seasoned reporters. Key & Peele became part of that common culture overnight when, in 2015, Key reprised the role of Luther, President Obama’s anger translator, during the White House Correspondents Dinner.

Here are some essential Key & Peele sketches you won’t want to miss. There are many, many more just as funny, maybe, probably even funnier.

Lightning Bottle

 

Stoned pals Cedric (Key) and Levi (Peele) get high and try to come up with big ideas for hot new products they can sell on the street. Cedric is in for the shock of his life when Levi casually reveals he has lighting in a bottle – and lets the lightning out in the room. It’s no big deal to Cedric – he also has a golden goose that lays golden eggs.

Insult Comic

Key is an insult comic whose act is roasting audience members at a comedy club, but he quickly meets his match when he comes across Peele’s character, who has been visibly badly burned and speaks through an electrolarynx, and turns the tables on the flailing comic. Darkly hilarious yet poignant as it strikes at both the heart – and boundaries – of comedy.

Turbulence

 

Flight attendant Mark (Peele) tells passenger Key to fasten his his seatbelt because of turbulence ahead. Key graphically argues he has to use the bathroom, leaves his seat and heads for the back of the plane. In doing so, Key learns the hard way not to cross the flight attendant, as Mark demonically appears to treat Key to the most turbulent flight of his life.

Wendell’s Pizza Order & Broken Superman Bed

Obese pop-culture fan Wendell (Peele) attempts to hide the fact that he’s ordering a large amount of food just for himself from Carlos (Key) at Mario’s and pretends his action figures are real people sharing it with him. Wendell follows up this one by trying to return a mail-order broken Superman bed on the phone from Riyaz (Key) in customer service.

East/West College Bowl

Key & Peele introduce the Black players of the East/West Bowl with an all-star team of combo-hyphenated names that are colorful in the extreme, The names of the players and colleges get longer and more and more outrageous. Every name is a punchline, and it never stops. They do offer up one token white player: Dan Smith. Hard to top for sheer laughs.

Slap-Ass

Rafi (Peele) and Garcia (Key) play baseball for the Rhinos. When they hit a home run or win a game, Rafi celebrates by slapping everyone’s ass because that’s what ball players do. Unfortunately, Rafi can’t help himself and can’t stop, and when the team finally tires of having their asses slapped every time they bend down, they give Rafi the boot. Can he recover and rejoin the team? Watch the sequel skit.

Continental Breakfast

In a take-off on The Shining, Peele is an overly enthusiastic hotel guest relishing the new-found excess of a complimentary breakfast. He compares his breakfast to a “Euro-Pine” tour, each scrumptious menu item representing a different country. Biting into an unpeeled banana, he proclaims “Baked to perfection!” “I love incontinence!,” he luxuriates, “and it’s all free!”

Substitute Teacher

 

After teaching 20 years in the inner city, shell-shocked Black substitute teacher Mr. Garvey (Key) has trouble adjusting to a classroom full of mild middle-class white kids, mispronounces all their names (A-A-Ron for Aaron) and flips out when they try to correct or inform him. The confrontation doesn’t end well for Mr. Garvey.

Watch full episodes of Key & Peele once a week on MTV or individually anytime on YouTube or on Comedy Central. Or subscribe to the Key & Peele YouTube channel for all the classics as well as new-to-YouTube sketches.

Key & Peele Key and Peele