Key & Peele: The Complete Series

Comedy sketch shows on cable rarely last forever. The fact that Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele were able to keep their show going for five official seasons over a three-year period is miraculous. Critical reception of the TV series was quite positive, with both men winning several awards over the length of the run.

The series itself contains the two leads playing a veritable rainbow of characters: Different ages, sexual orientations, genders and yes, even the occasional whiteface, not to mention a few other races, too. Key and Peele are both African American men: This is not integral to understanding any of the jokes. In fact, many of the funniest and most relatable sketches deal with romantic relationships as well as regular friendships, in which they both portray characters very different from themselves.

Seasons 1 through 3 have a mixture of medium and high production values, particularly for the sketches which were meant to be parodies of popular movies. Between recorded bits, a live audience would watch Key and Peele do standup comedy as a duo. In Season 4 and 5, the live taping was cut, but the quality of the sketch writing is more consistent, in part because they are built using characters established in the first three seasons and because there is better pacing from sketch to sketch. Instead of a live audience, Key and Peele talk to each other as if they are driving somewhere: Their relationship and storytelling are highlighted instead of physical comedy. Low, medium and highbrow jokes ranging from the earthy to the truly abstract pepper the series. The Halloween episodes were my absolute favorites, although the first three seasons paid tribute to Barack Obama with a sincere wink to the American public.

It is easier to find the funniest and most impressive pieces via the Internet using search functions than it is to find them via "Key & Peele: The Complete Series." At a lengthy nineteen hours of material, the fact that the series must be watched in the old-fashioned mode of episode by episode is a real drag. There is no Blu-Ray release scheduled, and there is no way to obtain this release via Paramount Home Media Division outside of Amazon or iTunes or a physical store.

For devoted fans of the series who may have already purchased the first three seasons, this collection may be the only chance to own the last two seasons. For a casual or first time viewer, it may be worth renting before buying, although the price point is ridiculously low.

"Key & Peele: The Complete Series"
DVD
$55.98