Alex Casey: Best Bits makes the best of bad TV

Jesse Mulligan hosts Best Bits on TV One.

Opinion

Best Bits is a cheery addition to a Thursday night, taking the worst bits of television and making some pretty damn good TV, writes Alex Casey.

Post YouTube, it's amazing that clip shows have retained a place in the television landscape. But they have, a treasure trove of kids falling over, first-day field reporting nerves and animals behaving like idiots.

This is where TV One's Best Bits (Thursday, 9.30pm) comes in, a panel show where comedians "poke fun at the most ridiculous moments from the week's television and more". The clips are funny and all, but it's the "and more" where Best Bits really shines.

Part of the charm is that the panel feels outrageously casual. Led by deadpan ringleader Jesse Mulligan, the chat often sprawls into long-winded anecdotes about childhood meatloaf.

Its main difference to New Zealand's other comedy panel show, 7 Days (TV3, Friday, 9.30pm), is that Best Bits removes the macho - and ultimately inane - element of competition. Instead of rushing for (joke) answers to win (fake) points, the panelists take their time - and genuinely seem to delight in the clips, no matter how many times they've seen them before filming.

With almost all of the panelists having past or current TV careers, the insults and callbacks flow freely. If they can bring up supporting clips, even better.

Jesse Mulligan, Ben Mitchell and Jodie Rimmer having a threesome in The Strip springs to mind. We're yet to see an episode where ZM's Vaughn Smith hasn't brought up Mulligan's ejection from Seven Sharp. "It's amazing that can be segued in every week", he laughs down the barrel of the camera. It really is.

Where TV3's comedy bread and butter shows have established a vibe of disproportionate self-deprecation, it feels fresh and cheeky coming from One. A bit like finally hearing your deeply earnest Grandma get a little bit drunk and say a swear word.

The jibes fly not only between panelists, but at their direct competition. Paul Henry, previously a he-who-must-not-be-named figure for TVNZ, is called out for his failed overseas ventures and his ever-looming new multi-platform morning experience. Grandma One has finally stopped ignoring the pesky neighbour who's been shooting spitballs at her window all this time.

Former Edge radio host Vaughn Smith openly talks about his disdain for X Factor NZ, saying he doesn't have to pretend to like MediaWorks' crappy reality shows because he doesn't work for them any more. It's a look behind the curtain, an insight into not just the best bits on television, but also the best bits lurking just behind.

Seating Billy T winners Guy Montgomery and Rhys Mathewson next to comedy stalwart Jason Hoyte is a stroke of genius. They represent the modern breed - confident and hungry - whereas Hoyte wistfully sits back to reminisce about when he would drink hot Marmite as a kid. He doesn't know what a selfie stick is. He doesn't have a camera on his phone. But he does have incredible stories like voicing a climaxing Cookie Bear. He doesn't give a dump-de-doo about anything, and he's a Best Bits essential.

Equally essential are the women of Best Bits, who always get seated next to the loudest man in radio (with the most hats). Running a lower representation rate for women than Parliament (i.e. not good), the likes of improviser Donna Brookbanks and actors Jodie Rimmer and Shavaughn Ruakere have a tall task.

Last week, Brookbanks was asked for a woman's perspective on The Bachelor NZ. Before she could open her mouth to respond, Smith's voice boomed over, the brim of his bowler hat nudging into frame, "Have you seen his foot though?!"

I hadn't seen his foot - turns out it is quite yuck - but I would have much preferred to hear what Donna had to say.

Despite that niggly gender issue, Best Bits is a cheery addition to a Thursday night, taking the worst bits of television and making some pretty damn good TV.

• Alex Casey is a staff writer at thespinoff.co.nz