The 1/2 Hour News Hour

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Season 1
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
2.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 380 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 97 out of 380
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 380
  3. Negative: 273 out of 380

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User Reviews

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  1. rarianrakista
    Feb 15, 2015
    0
    Dennis Miller once commented garrulously with florid flourishes on the issues of the day with an acerbic wit and a well-honed showman's flair. It was a fun schtick.. He landed his comedic hits and pointed barbs in a way that more often than not elevated the audience, making them feel more intelligent than either they or Dennis Miller probably actually were.

    This show was the inverse    Dennis Miller once commented garrulously with florid flourishes on the issues of the day with an acerbic wit and a well-honed showman's flair. It was a fun schtick.. He landed his comedic hits and pointed barbs in a way that more often than not elevated the audience, making them feel more intelligent than either they or Dennis Miller probably actually were.

    This show was the inverse of that. It felt like the show made you feel dumber than anyone could possibly be on the issued on the day because Dennis had by then turned into a rabid ideologue who was no longer funny but embittered with lousy analogies of whom he had his long list of beefs with. It was simply re-used diatribe from the 1st show to the last show. There are more poignant and funny right wing commentators on any blog, news site, or forum on the Internet today.    … Expand
  2. DJEB
    Mar 26, 2014
    0
    This show truly was terrible. Not even Fox's loyal audience you stomach it. That it made 17 episodes is a testament to the programming directors stubbornly unrealistic sense of optimism that an audience could be found for this tripe. It made New Coke look like a good idea.
  3. liverleef
    Jun 10, 2011
    0
    What makes the daily show work is that it exposes the absurd. If you watch stewart regularly you know that he will attack both the left and the right with mockery, however Fox is a favourite target because no other network contains more absurdity. You could make a whole show lampooning Glen Beck alone. Like everything on Fox, the 1/2 news hour tried to promote a political agenda, thisWhat makes the daily show work is that it exposes the absurd. If you watch stewart regularly you know that he will attack both the left and the right with mockery, however Fox is a favourite target because no other network contains more absurdity. You could make a whole show lampooning Glen Beck alone. Like everything on Fox, the 1/2 news hour tried to promote a political agenda, this show, however did it under the pretence of humour. In the end a comedy show has to be funny and the 1/2 hour news hour was never funny. It attempted to be funny but first of all the writers were horrible and the fact they focused 100% of their attention on the left doomed them. Not only did they lose mountains of humorous material by doing this but they came across as phoney. Compounding to this problem is that Fox has the oldest demographic of all cable news networks. If Fox viewers want comedy they'll watch Charlie Chaplin.… Expand
  4. EloyV.
    Jul 22, 2008
    2
    Great show.
  5. MarkL.
    Oct 30, 2007
    0
    The ACLU joke was actually really funny, because guess what right-wingers? THE KKK is a right-wing group, and we lefties defended your right to march! Whoohoo! That was irony, which Faux is really good at presenting...sometimes as actual news sadly.
  6. Jim
    Oct 11, 2007
    0
    This show is about as funny as invading a country based on fabricated evidence of weapons of mass destruction. No matter how hard they try, they'll never match the comedy in using the exact same fabrications to invade another country, 5 years later. The creators of this show shouldn't be too upset that they lack humor, however. their reptilian single-minded approach to life and This show is about as funny as invading a country based on fabricated evidence of weapons of mass destruction. No matter how hard they try, they'll never match the comedy in using the exact same fabrications to invade another country, 5 years later. The creators of this show shouldn't be too upset that they lack humor, however. their reptilian single-minded approach to life and politics has allowed what was a marginal faction of ignorant, backwards country bumpkins to virtually dominate America's political process. Instead of trying to out lib the libs, the cons on Fox "News" should embrace their lack of culture and sophistication, perhaps with 30 minutes, every Sunday night, of dead air or perhaps paint drying.… Expand
  7. DarleneB.
    Sep 2, 2007
    0
    Rest in peace, Fake News Show by the already Fake News Network. But please stay dead. I can't imagine what a Pet Sematary version of your show would be like.
  8. JustinB.
    Aug 25, 2007
    0
    This show physically pained me to watch. I wanted to give it a chance, regardless of the political leanings. It's not funny. It's not even "so bad it's funny." It just made me feel like I was dying. It's seriously /that bad/. If you want to laugh, just watch the real Fox news.
  9. ChrisM.
    Aug 17, 2007
    0
    This is proof that evil people can't be funny.
  10. ScottU.
    Aug 16, 2007
    0
    Being told to come up with material of a sort isn't as effective as having a message one wants to deliver. This is pure crap.
  11. TylerA.
    Aug 15, 2007
    0
    Absolutely one of the lowest things FOX news and Rupert Murdoch have ever done. The ACLU ads were simply appalling. Maybe these neocons don't want their free speech protected by the ACLU? The ACLU is actually protecting these wingnuts' right to free speech and FOX is ripping them for trying to prevent the demonization of former sex offenders???? The Limbaugh-Coulter bits were Absolutely one of the lowest things FOX news and Rupert Murdoch have ever done. The ACLU ads were simply appalling. Maybe these neocons don't want their free speech protected by the ACLU? The ACLU is actually protecting these wingnuts' right to free speech and FOX is ripping them for trying to prevent the demonization of former sex offenders???? The Limbaugh-Coulter bits were offensively unfunny, the sketch about men filing sexual harassment suits against women because they felt uncomfortable has now demonized gays all throughout the country, and the "news" segments were painfully tasteless. Just another pathetic attempt by Fairly Unbalanced Fixed Noise to futilely villify liberals and moderates everywhere.… Expand
  12. JamesY.
    Aug 15, 2007
    0
    It was like telling a joke and forgetting the punch line. Were the hosts real people? That stuff on BBC is not as dry as this program. Waste of money!!!!
  13. LawrenceS.
    Aug 15, 2007
    1
    I tried it. Pathetic. Not a funny moment in the two shows I watched. Bad writing, worse performance. Does the right not understand the concept of irony?
  14. Erebus
    Aug 15, 2007
    0
    "Funny Conservatives" is an oxymoron.
  15. JRE.
    Aug 15, 2007
    1
    The only time this show made me laugh was when they announced its cancellation!
  16. TrueBlueM.
    Aug 14, 2007
    1
    I'm extremely liberal. But I thought the first moment of the sight gag of Limbaugh as president was kind of funny, given the context. Ditto with Anne Coulter walking through the door as the Vice President. But sight gags can't carry a half hour show. So they are reduced to body odor jokes and making fun of people's names, which wasn't funny in elementary school. I'm extremely liberal. But I thought the first moment of the sight gag of Limbaugh as president was kind of funny, given the context. Ditto with Anne Coulter walking through the door as the Vice President. But sight gags can't carry a half hour show. So they are reduced to body odor jokes and making fun of people's names, which wasn't funny in elementary school. Republicans can only do grade school level political humor because sophisticated allusion and wordplay requires a certain level of critical thinking, and being able to hold two ideas at once and laugh at the juxtaposition of things you didn't expect to find together ( I smile everytime I see The Daily Show caption about "Mess O'Potamia"). Many conservatives do not know how to do this kind of thinking, or do not enjoy it. One of the other commenters made a good suggestion: Fixed News Channel should just anthologize all the Daily Show and Colbert Report humor about people on the left. That way they'd get a much funnier 22 minutes a week.… Expand
  17. AlexM.
    Aug 14, 2007
    0
    painful.
  18. bobd.
    Aug 14, 2007
    0
    I actually work on 24. Now, the next time I see Joel my smirk will will extra smirky. And let me point out again that perhaps a supposedly Fair and Balanced straight news channel isn't the appropriate place for and ideological comedy show. Or, at the very least it's REDUNDANT.
  19. cindyl.
    Aug 14, 2007
    1
    Feeling generous today I gave the 1/2 Hour News Hour a rating of 1. If you are in high school-well, it might be a tad bit funny. Being an adult-not so much.
  20. PeterS.
    Aug 14, 2007
    0
    They needed the Draft - for comedic writers. The volunteer force wasn't up to the task....
  21. CarolF
    Aug 14, 2007
    0
    They just don't get it, do they? Too bad none of the good comedy writers are right-wingers. This program deserves to be euthanized.
  22. ottob.
    Aug 14, 2007
    0
    It was a comedy show? I thought it was someone filling in for O'Reilly.
  23. RickH
    Aug 14, 2007
    0
    This show just plain sucks.
  24. SamP.
    Aug 14, 2007
    1
    Well, the thing about the daily show is truth, done with tongue in cheek. The thing about Colbert is he plays the Conservative pundits better they themselves do, except without the extra effort to cover up hypocrisy. This HHNH just didn't get it. It was like an un-funny Mad TV based around liberal bashing. (But keep in mind, when a connie watches the Daily Show this is exactly how Well, the thing about the daily show is truth, done with tongue in cheek. The thing about Colbert is he plays the Conservative pundits better they themselves do, except without the extra effort to cover up hypocrisy. This HHNH just didn't get it. It was like an un-funny Mad TV based around liberal bashing. (But keep in mind, when a connie watches the Daily Show this is exactly how they interpret it. They don't get irony, otherwise they'd have been laughing when Bush 2 was given 4 more years) I'm glad its over with. Maybe they'll watch the Daily Show and take better notes this time.… Expand
  25. JeffW.
    Aug 14, 2007
    0
    I tried to see the humor. I really tried.
  26. DougE
    Aug 14, 2007
    0
    Awful. Just unredeemingly bad. Limbaugh as comic? Coulter? Neither of them has an ounce of comedic talent. Even if they had the best writers on the planet, they would still suck. And they have the worst writers on the planet. I wouldn't take a leak on this show, if it were on fire. Let it burn. And I've just learned that Fox is cancelling it!!!!! So, all y'all who gave it a Awful. Just unredeemingly bad. Limbaugh as comic? Coulter? Neither of them has an ounce of comedic talent. Even if they had the best writers on the planet, they would still suck. And they have the worst writers on the planet. I wouldn't take a leak on this show, if it were on fire. Let it burn. And I've just learned that Fox is cancelling it!!!!! So, all y'all who gave it a 10 (HA!!). Fox doesn't even like it!!!… Expand
  27. MikeN.
    Aug 14, 2007
    0
    No humor whatsoever. A complete disaster.
  28. kevins.
    Aug 13, 2007
    0
    bollocks
  29. WillM
    Aug 13, 2007
    0
    I kept waiting for the "funny part" to roll around. Over the course of the entire show, I didn't laugh once.
  30. SteveH
    Aug 5, 2007
    0
    No laugh track needed... http://youtube.com/watch?v=CJEeyLeqJHc
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Awards & Rankings

100
#100 Best TV Season of 2007
3
#3 Most Discussed TV Season of 2007
41
#41 Most Shared TV Season of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
13

Overwhelming dislike - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 10 out of 11
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Barry Garron
    20
    A look at the first episode suggests that, just as A.M. radio is the unassailable province of the right, TV might better be left to the left.
    Read full review
  2. Orlando Sentinel
    Reviewed by: Hal Boedeker
    0
    "Weekend Update" on its worst night isn't this bad.
    Read full review
  3. Slate
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    0
    You couldn't skewer a cube of tofu with material this dull.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »