"Oh man. This is worse than that time I had to host a roast for Charlie Sheen." *cut to animated re-enactment of Stewie telling Seth MacFarlane's jokes* (Photo by Peter Kramer/Associated Press)

Never one to pass up an opportunity to make an easy joke that requires little to no effort, Family Guy and American Dad creator Seth MacFarlane has agreed to host the Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen, which is set to air in September against the season premiere of CBS’s “Two and a Half Ashtons Men.”

“In addition to his sharp wit, Seth is way more suave and sophisticated than we are,” said Kent Alterman, head of original programming and production at Comedy Central. “We continue to try and soil him.”

They’re joking, of course, because there’s nothing suave or sophisticated about Comedy Central’s Roasts, which choose easy targets – often those that are drug-addled and/or mentally ill but sometimes legit comedic legends – and pepper them with B-grade jokes about their most obvious and public failings.

It’s almost worse when they do it to someone legit, like Joan Rivers, who was actually legitimately hurt by the fact that the Roast reduced her and her long, storied career to a punchline. But there’s still something wrong with doing it to someone like Sheen, who is only getting it because of all the terrible things he’s done and the bad behavior he’s exhibited over the course of the past year.

Roasts aren’t supposed to be an opportunity to tear down a legend or pick apart an easy target. There’s supposed to be an art to it. The New York Friar’s Club exemplifies this with their roasts. The motto, “we only roast the ones we love,” isn’t an excuse, it’s an explanation. The jokes are biting, but not cruel. They zing, but don’t sting. They’re blue, not black.

I wouldn’t necessarily say I hold anything against Comedy Central or anyone that is willing to stand up and laugh about Charlie’s coke habit or call Joan Rivers old for the umpteenth time, because I get it. Money is money. I just wish they could find a way to earn it by doing a Roast that is more keeping in the tradition and that especially puts more deserving “targets” up for public display.

Tagged with:
 

9 Responses to Seth MacFarlane to host “Roast” of Charlie Sheen

  1. Roz says:

    Those articles are all related in that they could all end up as jokes on “Family Guy.”

    I miss the Dean Martin roasts. Yeah, I know. I’m old. I also don’t care.

  2. Ann says:

    I thought “American Dad” was Seth Green’s? MacFarlane’s wearing on me lately. Too full of himself. I find myself becoming increasingly bored and/or offended by “Family Guy”. It is very funny at times though it can’t touch “Southpark”. I prefer “American Dad” to “Family Guy”; no boring scenes that run on way too long.

    • Ann - Nope! It’s MacFarlane. Green’s show is “Robot Chicken” on Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” lineup.

      Roz - I hate how right you are.

      I don’t hate MacFarlane or “Family Guy,” but I can’t get through an episode. I want to say it started when they just had characters re-enacting events and YouTube videos without any punchline (like Stewie re-enacting Bill O’Reilly’s “Current Affair” blowup), but I think it actually started when South Park did that episode where they lampooned it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPLcT7I9txM

  3. Roz says:

    PS “Body of missing boy found in dumpster” has already been done on FG, to the tune of “Prom Night Dumpster Baby.” http://youtu.be/kRj-S8Aklcw

  4. Tony Barbaro says:

    The last few roasts I TRIED to watch bothered me..mostly because they were not funny at all. And Lisa Lampanella makes me violent.

  5. Roz says:

    “South Park” is still the gold standard! I find that it has a certain wisdom couched in all of that vulgar language and toilet humor (not that I have a problem with it).

  6. Ann says:

    Oh gawd, Roz! I watched that last night in horror before changing the channel. Brian and Stewie running away from the flushing toilet was funny, though.
    Kevin, I loved that Southpark!
    Robot Chicken! (slaps forehead)
    One thing our/my generation did well is the advent of prime-time cartoons! Take that Greatest Generation!

  7. Tony Barbaro says:

    I WANT to watch the prime time cartoons, I just can’t…I keep thinking I need be high…..or 9. ;)

  8. luvpudders says:

    New episodes of 2 1/2 Men…I predict they will be unwatchable. Charlie, come back, all is forgiven…please ???

Leave a Reply to Kevin Marshall Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>