Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis

Format

Host Zach Galifianakis interviews celebrities while sitting between two potted ferns. The set intentionally resembles a low-budget amateur production for public-access television,

Galifianakis maintains a very awkward and often antagonistic demeanor with his guests, asking them bizarre, inappropriate or insulting questions mixed with offhand non-sequiturs. The guests' responses are mostly improvised. Episodes often include a segment in which Galifianakis awkwardly interrupts his guests to promote a sponsor's product. Examples include bananas, the video game Need for Speed: Shift, and (most frequently) Speed Stick deodorant. Some advertisements, like the graphics, are based around aspects of or events related to the interviewee. For example, the episode featuring Hillary Clinton included one of Donald Trump's campaign commercials.

History and reception

The show originated as a short film on Scott Aukerman and B. J. Porter's Fox sketch pilot The Right Now! Show, a spin-off of their Comedy Death-Ray live show. After the network declined to pick up the show, the duo put the short up on the website Funny Or Die, where it made a successful transition to an internet series.

Discussing the show on ABC News Now, Galifianakis said, "The sycophantic way that Hollywood machine runs – it's fun to make fun of it. That's how Between Two Ferns started." Guests aren't told what will happen in advance, according to Galifianakis, "They agree to come. There is no discussion beforehand...It just happens, no real prep, no organization whatsoever." He continues, "Inappropriateness is really fun to me...That is kind of the take on Between Two Ferns – inappropriate humor."

The Chicago Tribune described it as "surreal improv...a talk show that's more of a charming critique of the faked intimacy of celebrity interviews than a talk show."

A 30-minute television special, Between Two Ferns: A Fairytale of New York, aired on Comedy Central on May 6, 2012. The show featured interviews with Tina Fey, Jon Stewart, and Richard Branson.

The episode featuring President Barack Obama was timed to encourage Americans to sign up for health insurance at Healthcare.gov. Funnyordie.com became the top referrer to the government site during this time. The September 2013 episode featuring Justin Bieber also received significant media attention. The show opened with Galifianakis telling him, "It's really exciting to talk to you. Especially right in the middle of your public meltdown."

In the 2014 episode featuring Brad Pitt, the actor was referred to as both "Bradley Pitts" and "Bart Pit", and Galifianakis referred to Pitt's latest film, Fury as "Furry", and asked Pitt, "Is it hard for you to maintain a suntan...because you live in your wife's shadow?" Galifianakis also asked Pitt if his relationship with wife, Angelina Jolie, was anything like "Ross and Rachel" from Friends, the show that made a star of Pitt's ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston.

In a January 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times, while promoting Baskets, Galifianakis discussed the status of Between Two Ferns, stating: "I don't know what else to do ... [Between Two Ferns has] kind of run its course a bit." Galifianakis also expressed his desire to interview the Pope on the show. Between Two Ferns' first new episode in almost two years aired in September 2016. It featured then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and received over 30 million views in its first 24 hours, the highest viewership in FunnyorDie.com's history.

Between Two Ferns: The Movie, a film adaptation of the show directed by Aukerman and written by Galifianakis and Aukerman, premiered on Netflix on September 20, 2019. Uncut interviews from the film featuring David Letterman, Paul Rudd, Awkwafina, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brie Larson, Keanu Reeves, Hailee Steinfeld, and Adam Scott were released on the Netflix Is A Joke YouTube channel and FunnyOrDie.com under the title Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: The Movie, Sorta Uncut Interviews, which was nominated for the 2020 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series.

Episodes

Special (2012)

A special episode aired on television on Comedy Central on May 6, 2012.

Awards

References

References

1. (27 May 2011). "Zach and Bruce Willis on Between Two Ferns". [[Time (magazine).
2. Randee Dawn. (October 23, 2014). "6 reasons to watch Brad Pitt and Zach Galifianakis on 'Between Two Ferns'". [[Today (American TV program).
3. "How Funny or Die Got President Obama on Zach Galifianakis' 'Between Two Ferns'".
4. (6 October 2010). "Zach Galifianakis: Comedy's Sensitive, Sarcastic Sensation". ABC News.
5. Christopher Borrelli. (4 April 2012). "'Seven Minutes in Heaven': The not-so-fine art of the awkward kiss". Chicago Tribune.
6. Josh Modell. (May 6, 2012). "Between Two Ferns: A Fairytale of New York". [[The A.V. Club]].
7. (2014-03-11). "How Funny or Die Got President Obama on Zach Galifianakis' 'Between Two Ferns' (VIDEO)".
8. Hillary Busis. (September 26, 2013). "'Between Two Ferns': Zach Galifianakis gives Justin Bieber a stern talking to".
9. Meredith Blake. (January 29, 2016). "With movie comedies 'a little bit one-note,' Zach Galifianakis tackles TV". [[Los Angeles Times]].
10. (23 September 2016). "Hillary Clinton's Appearance on 'Between Two Ferns' Breaks Records for Funny or Die (Exclusive)".
11. (May 24, 2019). "'Between Two Ferns: The Movie' With Zach Galifianakis Confirmed, Sets Release Date".
12. Schneider, Michael. (2020-07-29). "Emmys Trivia: 18 Surprising, Interesting and Just Odd Facts From 2020's Nominations".
13. "Between Two Ferns". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].
14. "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: President Barack Obama". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].
15. "Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis: Brad Pitt". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].