‘MacGruber’ TV Review: A Funny, Ridiculous Story Is Stretched Too Thin In This Overlong Streaming Series

When “MacGruber” was released in theaters in 2010, the general critical response was that it had the same problem that so many films do that are based on sketches from “Saturday Night Live”: What works in the length of a sketch doesn’t click in the same way when it’s stretched to the length of a feature. However, history has been kind to Jorma Taccone’s film. It feels like the country’s sense of humor has fallen more in line with the referential, meta, self-degrading one that dominates the film. People like to see archetypes like that of the superspy shoving a piece of celery up his ass more than they did 11 years ago. The film has not only found a cult following but a general reappraisal even by the critics who dismissed it the first time. Revisit it. It’s pretty funny. However, even this fan would admit that it does still often feel like it’s enough material for a sketch stretched to a feature. So the prospect of a return to “MacGruber” that fixes this problem by making it episodic instead of a full movie? What a great idea. Find the middle ground between a sketch and a feature! Let’s go. So why on Earth did Taccone, Will Forte, and John Solomon (“Last Man on Earth”) decide to go in the exact opposite direction?

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Yes, believe it or not, instead of refining the rhythms of “MacGruber” into something that could be episodically entertaining, the creators basically took on the over-done “it’s like a movie broken up into episodes” approach, telling one story over all eight chapters of their Peacock show. It’s basically a 4-hour “MacGruber” movie with credits every thirty minutes, and almost zero effort to accomplish anything that could be called episodic. The structural choice is baffling from a team of creatives who know how to do quick-hit humorous pieces (and one in particular who was very good at merging weekly stories with a larger season/series-long one on “Last Man on Earth“). What about MacGruber made them think that he could carry a 4-hour movie? And then when that decision was made, why put in zero effort to break it up in an interesting manner? “MacGruber” can be a fantastically funny character, but almost no movie comedy lead in history could support a four-hour feature film.

Now, of course, there are funny bits scattered throughout all eight episodes, most of them familiar to fans of the 2010 film. Yes, you can expect a lot of throats getting ripped out and pleading to be sexually abused (and so much naked Will Forte). One of the best bits in the whole series is actually the first one as Maya Rudolph returns briefly to recap the film via song. It turns out that the show is a pretty direct sequel, relying on some knowledge of the action of the film (again, not necessarily a good idea). In the movie, the bumbling superspy defeated Dieter von Cunth (Val Kilmer) with the help of a young lieutenant named Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) and a love interest named Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig).

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Cunth is dead but a new villain appears on the scene when the President’s daughter is kidnapped, and their demand is that MacGruber is turned over in exchange for her safety. It’s revealed that MacGruber has been in prison, but General Barrett Fasoose (Laurence Fishburne) breaks him out to barter the deal. Knowing that he’ll probably be killed, MacGruber goes to Vicki and Dixon to say goodbye—neither particularly happy to see him. (Of course, MacGruber tried to throw everyone under the bus instead of going to jail for his action in the film.) Ultimately, the villain is revealed to be someone from MacGruber’s past, the evil Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth (Billy Zane), who killed his mother. Sam Elliott pops up later as MacGruber’s dad, a wonderful bit of casting even if he’s a bit underutilized.

Again, there are moments that work in every episode. While the rhythm of the piece is its overall problem in that it can’t maintain comic pacing for four hours, the recurring bits do produce some of the biggest laughs, including how MacGruber keeps calling Dixon “Checkers” (because, of course, that’s what he plays while MacGruber plays chess in the spy game) or that MacGruber’s passwords are always “69696969.” When the show is working, it really feels like everyone is just having a good time, especially Forte and Zane. Phillipe’s exasperated straight man is a nice counter to Forte’s lunacy, but Wiig again looks a little lost, unsure what comedic beats she’s supposed to hit. She’s generally better although it’s more a product of the writers having no idea what to do with this character. Finally, there’s some notable joy in watching a traditionally dramatic actor like Fishburne jump into a world that writes and shoots ridiculous sex scenes like those in “MacGruber.”

The greatest creative sag in the season comes in the midsection—a criticism that could be levied at so many streaming shows. The premiere has a nostalgic, getting-the-band-back-together energy. And the final few episodes have enough twists and turns (and enough Elliott) to entertain. It’s in the middle that fans may take a break and go back to the movie before they pick it up again.

All eight episodes of “MacGruber” will drop on Peacock on December 16, but fans of this character would be wise to space them out. Watched consecutively, the flaws overwhelm the strengths. Viewed a week apart, it might be like revisiting an old friend, remembering what fans increasingly love about the original movie. Back-to-back, the comedy explodes. [C]

“MacGruber” arrives on Peacock on December 16.