CRAVE’S ‘THE DESSERT’ IS YOUR NEW RAUNCHY LATE NIGHT SKETCH COMEDY

The Dessert is a Canadian-made sketch comedy show that dons an impressive creative team, including Bruce McCulloch from Kids in the Hall and Max Kerman of The Arkells. While both of these gentlemen executive produced the series, Kerman added a unique zest to the project through its music while McCulloch offered his comedic expertise from decades in the field. Unlike Kids in the Hall, The Dessert sports more than a few raunchy skits that cater to lovers of absurdity. We were able to screen around fifteen to twenty sketches among what very well may be close to a hundred overall upon the show’s six-episode release, yet only around five of those sketches made us laugh out loud.

That being said, the best part about these sketches is how random they are. Much like the trailer indicates, there really is no rhyme or reason as to how or why these ideas came together. It was exciting to witness a wide and unpredictable smorgasbord of hilarious situations that introduced a number of new characters each time. The series stars Shane Cunningham and Isabella Campbell, who both star in nearly every sketch and act as the heartbeat of the series (from what we’ve seen so far). Cunningham wears what feels like a hundred different hats (and wigs) in some seriously funny bits, including one that parodies the famous restaurant HOOTERS by employing a bunch of male servers in short shorts at a place called BULGES. He also valiantly kickboxes a dinosaur. Although, Cunningham’s standout performance comes during a sketch in which he suffers through a horrifyingly graphic but hysterical vasectomy. Campbell stars in more than a few sketches herself, stealing the show on more than one occasion. Campbell is a clear scene stealer and effortlessly funny, elevating every sketch—sometimes even with just a tongue-in-cheek expression. She stars in a hilariously poignant sketch spoofing the Uber app, which seems to always show users their drivers taking the most random routes to pick them up. If Campbell’s a main component of the sketch, you’re guaranteed to laugh.

Although an authentically creative and collaborative process amongst the talented individuals involved translates on screen, the sketches at times feel as though they may only be funny to those involved with them. The Dessert plays like a dirty late-night sketch comedy show like Mad TV or Saturday Night Live. The sketches do well in shaking up styles of comedy, serving up some seriously good deadpan moments while also serving slapstick, dark and situational comedy. Ultimately, The Dessert is a must-watch for lovers of sketch comedies (and The Arkells!) 

Crave releases The Dessert available for Streaming on Friday, July 7, 2023