July 15 (2009-07-15) – August 26, 2009 (2009-08-26)
Michael & Michael Have Issues (sometimes abbreviated MMHI) is a cable television comedy series starring comedians and actors Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, who created the series. Both comedians appeared together in several TV comedy series, including The State, and Stella. The show premiered on July 15, 2009, on Comedy Central.[1] Showalter and Black confirmed on March 3, 2010, via their Twitter accounts that the show had been canceled.[2][3][4]
The series starred Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter playing fictionalized versions of themselves. As stated in a 2009 New York Times article, "Mr. Black and Mr. Showalter play the bickering stars of a sketch comedy program who never miss an opportunity to undermine each other. In between skits about stores that sell only sweatpants and characters like John the British Fork Offerer, narrative segments chronicle the not-so-fictional frenemies who constantly step on each other’s toes, even in seemingly inconsequential situations like an interview for a high school newspaper or the search for a birthday gift for their producer."[5]
Characters
Michael Ian Black (Michael Ian Black) – Michael plays a fictional version of himself, as well as a variety of characters.
Michael Showalter (Michael Showalter) – Michael plays a fictional version of himself, as well as a variety of characters.
Jim Biederman (Josh Pais) – Producer of the fictional show MMHI. Based on Jim Biederman, one of the producers of MMHI.
Showalter proves to be a problematic houseguest.[6]
7
"Frogbox"
August 26, 2009 (2009-08-26)
107
The guys agree to appear on a competing sketch show.[6]
Reception
The series received a mix of good and bad reviews. The Hartford Advocate stated that "With Michael and Michael Have Issues, they've made arguably perfect comedy for the Comedy Central audience, which is basically everyone."[7]
Randee Dawn of The Hollywood Reporter commented, "the Michaels have raw material in spades. Thus far, they haven't been able to harness it and make it consistently funny. For now, MMHI's real issue is that it's likely to be just another in a string of missed opportunities."[8] In the Boston Globe, Joanna Weiss wrote, "Black and Showalter work together perfectly..." and "It’s a lot to cram into a measly half-hour, but each part - and each person - makes the other one funnier."[9] IGN gave the first season a 7/10 stating that "it was a good season but never great" and that none of the episodes truly stood out.[10]
