Comedy Club (no Russian title) is a highly popular Russian stand-up comedy show. The show began airing in 2005 and surpassed its 500th episode in December 2016; as of this writing, there are almost 530. According to the showβs website on TV channel TNT, βThe residentsβ jokes live in our consciousnesses β¦ they are called the legislators of contemporary humor in Russia. Today, the regular army of the best humorists of TNT continues to work to improve the entire countryβs mood each Friday.β
The show was, of course, founded by a former KVN team, the New Armenians (ΠΠΎΠ²ΡΠ΅ Π°ΡΠΌΡΠ½Π΅). The βcomedy clubβ itself beganΒ in 2003, and then took to the airwaves a few years later. In 2007 the showβs leaders founded their own production company, and they now have their own TV channel that airs their variousΒ shows.
The show has one host, currently Pavel Volya (ΠΠ°Π²Π΅Π» ΠΠΎΠ»Ρ), who took over in 2015. Heβs also a KVN veteranβhe was on the team Valeon Dasson (ΠΠ°Π»Π΅ΠΎΠ½ ΠΠ°ΡΡΠΎΠ½). In addition to Comedy Club, he also hosts Comedy Battle (Comedy ΠΠ°ΡΡΠ») and has his own one-man show, Improvisation (ΠΠΌΠΏΡΠΎΠ²ΠΈΠ·Π°ΡΠΈΡ). Heβs had minor roles in a few major recent films and has released several musical albums.
There are also a number of βresidents,β who appear and perform on most episodes, doing stand-up comedy, performing sketches, and interviewing guests. A few of the more familiar names are Aleksandr Revva (ΠΠ»Π΅ΠΊΡΠ°Π½Π΄Ρ Π Π΅Π²Π²Π°), aka Artur Pirozhkov (ΠΡΡΡΡ ΠΠΈΡΠΎΠΆΠΊΠΎΠ²), and Mikhail Galustyan (ΠΠΈΡ Π°ΠΈΠ» ΠΠ°Π»ΡΡΡΡΠ½), both of whom perform sketches, or βΠΌΠΈΠ½ΠΈΠ°ΡΡΡΡ.β Musical groups also perform on the show from time to time, including United Sexy Boyz, or USB: theyβre a pop parody group who claim to be banned all over Russia.
The show is quite beloved overall, but of course it has its criticisms, as everything in the genre doesβthat itβs too commercial, thereβs too much toilet humor, thereβs too much cursing. Itβs even been said that the political satire is simply stupid. Despite this, though, itβs already become an institution in Russian comedy programming.
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Producers: Artur Dzhanibekyan (ΠΡΡΡΡ ΠΠΆΠ°Π½ΠΈΠ±Π΅ΠΊΡΠ½), Garik Martirosyan (ΠΠ°ΡΠΈΠΊ ΠΠ°ΡΡΠΈΡΠΎΡΡΠ½), David Surmalyan (ΠΠ°Π²ΠΈΠ΄ Π‘ΡΡΠΌΠ°Π»ΡΠ½)
Host: Pavel Volya (ΠΠ°Π²Π΅Π» ΠΠΎΠ»Ρ)
Production company: Comedy Club Production
TV channe: TNT (Π’ΠΠ’)
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The showβs official website , and their site on TNT.
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The showβs official YouTube channel, with full episodes and clips.