Jason Jones and Samantha Bee, former correspondents for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” have left Comedy Central, signed on at TBS and created a show of their own — “The Detour.” It may be the television equivalent of “National Lampoon’s Vacation” but “The Detour” highlights the creative husband-wife duo’s ability to blend silly gags with clever writing.
Promotion for the show was not inspiring — it seemed bland, cliché and uninspired. Short quips from Jones like “Work is a stupid idiot” and an awful Romanian accent from Natalie Zea, who plays Jones’s wife, Robin, in the series, made the series seem like mundane drivel. It almost looked as bad as the recent remake of “Vacation,” which starred another former ex-correspondent from “The Daily Show,” Ed Helms. So, if there were any hope at all, it rested on the resounding past efforts of the creators. It could only be so bad.
Just like with Bee’s solo late-night talk show, “Full Frontal,” “The Detour” delivered in a way no one could have suspected. Bee and Jones are able to create some hilarious scenarios that, despite the raunchiness, will make even the stodgiest viewer laugh. That’s not to say the show is perfect. There are many gags that fall flat, but most of them succeed despite the somewhat hackneyed subplots.
The premise of the show revolves around a family embarking on a trip to the beach. Jones’s character, Nate, secretly launched the trip after losing his job. Nowadays, the typical sitcom mom trope is spunky, brutally honest and not afraid to be a potentially bad example — Nate’s wife, Robin, is no exception. There’s a scene in which her daughter, Delilah (Ashley Gerasimovich), claims her mother uses drugs, and Robin dismisses the comment by saying Delilah refers to an over-the-counter drug. Later, the audience finds out that Robin is probably taking something a bit stronger than Advil or Tylenol. While these parents might be more relatable and realistic, they’re far from the role model parents of older sitcoms.
The child actors have a chemistry that models after that of real siblings, and their conversations feel organic. If Bee and Jones got anything right, it would be the realistic dynamic between the two children, as well as the brutishness of the younger brother, Jared (Liam Carroll). Their questions about sexuality and where babies come from lead to some priceless antics. The scene in which the gang visits a “creamery” — a place presumed to be an ice cream shop but is actually a strip club — is a clear example of the comical expertise that Bee and Jones have cultivated over the years. This show seems like it should be a disaster at times, but it holds together and comes out the other side surprisingly funny.
“The Detour” is definitely not comedy gold — it may not even be comedy silver — but it’s still an entertaining fare. It’s tough to compete with Bee’s other show, “Full Frontal,” which regularly airs the same night, but “The Detour” is doing an admirable job. It’s no wonder that TBS renewed the series for a second season before the first even premiered.
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