I like winding down with shitty old B movies or TV shows so the other night I watched "The Night the World Exploded" from 1957 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050767/) It was a giant feast of "expert" worship and environmental paranoia that wouldn't be that out of place today.

Plot synopsis: a Top Scientist has invented a device to predict earthquakes. Amazingly enough, hours after completing the device, it's already picking up indications of a massive earthquake later that day. He is immediately given access to the governor who, begrudgingly, tells the Top Scientist that although he wants to, he can't evacuate cities and bring in the military on his say-so alone.

Naturally the earthquake happens, the governor apologizes, and brings in the Top Scientist to advise. Top Scientist warns that his device is already picking up major indications of imminent global catastrophe, and needs to bring in Top Scientists from around the world to enact a plan to save the planet.

Turns out that the earthquakes are being caused by mankind's extraction of resources. Mining and oil wells being the biggest problem. Naturally the Top Scientists are able to mobilize an effective worldwide campaign to prevent disaster, after being granted 100% authority over military resources.

The whole thing could have been written by a modern climate cultist, with carbon being the villain instead of earthquakes. The only thing that hasn't "aged well" by modern standards was that the lead actor and actress fall in love at the end. But the rest is naked agenda: human beings are destroying the planet, and we need to give dictatorial powers to "experts" to save us.

Skip to the TL;DR if you're not interested in the backstory.

So I had just been watching through the old Kids in the Hall series (early '90s bizarre sketch comedy show). Remembered enjoying it as a teenager but never had HBO so I only caught episodes here and there. Incidentally, Dave Foley went on to star with Joe Rogan in News Radio, a great '90s sitcom.

Still mostly as good as I remembered, minus the Scott Thompson-focused "look at teh gay!" sketches, particularly his monologues. No topical skits, just 5 white Canadian guys doing weird humor.

Finish up the final episode a few days ago. Fire up Prime Video (I only use it because I already pay for Prime delivery ... I know) to look for something decent to watch from a time when entertainment wasn't awful, and right up front I see a Kids in the Hall video that I didn't recognize. Get a feeling of dread. Look more closely: it appears to be all 5 original cast members looking like they're now in their 50s. Dread intensifies. Click for details. Released 2022.

I give it a 1% chance of being decent, a 1% chance of being bad but at least not awful propaganda, and a 98% of it being some flavor of unbearable woke. It's just not going to be easy for a bunch of 60-year-old guys to do edgy comedy even if they still are on their game. I like Foley and McDonald at least so I'll give it one episode.

I almost didn't make it past the first line of the first skit. In the original series, it was very rare for anyone except the primary cast members to speak. There were a few 'girlfriend' characters that got a line here and there and the "it's a fact" girl, but otherwise it was all the 5 regulars. Well, in this one, about the first thing that happens is a hipster looking Asian chick and a fat, ugly black chick start asking about a VHS copy of "Brain Candy." My Spidey senses told me to turn it off right there, but I guess I hate myself too much.

Next skit has one of the Kids playing a board member sitting at a large boardroom table (way higher budget than anything in the original series) completely surrounded by women, asking, "so having more women on the board benefits me ... how?" to which one responds, "it doesn't." (which is both true and unintentionally undercutting the whole "diversity is good!" argument but I digress)

TL;DR

So the very next skit, first one with Kevin McDonald and Dave Foley back together after 30 years, has them as thieves who just robbed somewhere. They're in their getaway car about to leave when they have the great idea to take their clothes off because "the cops won't be looking for naked people." So they do. And naturally the cops pull up, have them get out of the car. McDonald and Foley both exit the car, full frontal pudgy 60-year-old nudity. Cops have them jump up and down, which is done on goddamn camera. It wasn't funny. It was embarrassing.

After this, all 5 of the cast members strip down and pole dance.

And then to rub salt in the wound, every other speaking part in the episode was a woman of some random skin tone ... except one: Kids in the Hall fan #511. He was a pathetic white dude that lived with his mom.

Shit on the actors, shit on the original fans. I won't be watching the rest of the series.