Important Things with Demetri Martin

Recurring segments

In addition to Demetri's unconventional style of stand-up comedy, which he has performed for many years, there are several recurring segments on the show including:

Opening Act – In the opening of the show, Demetri Martin greets the audience and brings up the theme/topic of the show. This is followed with a short joke via flashcards. The card generally has play-buttons with a caption under them, which Demetri then reads and decides which one he will choose, usually "Jokes".

Good, Bad, Interesting – Demetri presents a good, a bad and an interesting reaction to topics based on everyday life situations.

This is... – Often used as a transition, this segment features a single humorous concept related to the show's topic in which one or more cast members will act out.

Important Things Things – An infomercial narrated by Demetri in which imaginary products related to the show's topic are advertised for sale. The products are often comically impractical or unnecessary like the "Burning-Hand Potholder" featured in the Strategy episode.

Demetrocles/Da Mici – In this segment, Demetri presents a humorous concept related to the show's topic as an ancient philosopher much like Socrates or Plato or an inventor like Da Vinci.

Other Jokes – This segment consists of other jokes about the topic that weren't included in the Opening Act.

New Expressions – In this segment Demetri is approached by a series of people that talk about different situations. Demetri responds to each person with an original saying/expression that applies to the situation.

Episodes

Season 1 (2009)

• Sketch: Rookie Cop
• Sketch: A guy who is still way too early for a rave
• Sketch: "What" Slam Poet Champion
• Sketch: Jerry Pappas: Time Gigolo
• Other Jokes about Timing
• Dungeon Boys
• Demonstration of Timing (music, drawing and jokes)
• Guest Star: Amanda Peet
• Jokes about Power
• Sketch: Parking War (with guest star Jon Benjamin as the other driver)
• Sketch: A yellow belt opens a new pair of headphones
• Sketch: A yellow belt prepares some boxes for recycling
• Sketch: The Revenger (with guest star Jon Benjamin as the therapist)
• Other Jokes About Power
• Sketch: A yellow belt fights depression
• Music Situation: "Me vs. You"
• Sketch/Animation: Creedocide
• Sketch: Dungeon Boys 2
• Sketch: Demetrocles (with guest star former Rockapella bass singer Barry Carl as the announcer)
• Sketch: "Hear" Folk Singer
• Credit sequence: Trying to smash a car
• Jokes about brains
• Sketch: Dinner with Heroes (with Jon Benjamin as Benjamin Franklin and guest star John Oliver as William Shakespeare)
• Sketch: "What" Slam Poet Champion 2
• Sketch: Dadz (New Dads) (with Jon Benjamin as the other dad)
• Some Data about Brains
• Sketch: DaMici
• Animation: Mountains vs. Wizard Looking at Mountains
• Equations about Brains
• Sketch: A genius & an idiot listening to smooth jazz
• Sketch: When you donate your brain to science
• Other Brains Jokes
• Sketch: Fairly Important Fairy Tales: The Prince and the Pauper: Five Years Later (with guest star John Oliver as the Prince)
• Sketch: "Hear" Folk Singer
• Sketch: Demetrocles 2
• Credit sequence: A genius & an idiot at a monastery
• Jokes about Chairs
• Sketch: Urinal Talk (with guest star David Cross as Demetri's co-worker)
• Sketch: A Yellow belt tries to relax in a beach chair
• Large Pad: Sitting (Analysis)
• Sketch: Table 8
• Sketch: A yellow belt fights gravity
• Sketch: "Hear" Folk Singer
• Sketch: Demetrocles
• Sketch: Who Puts Gum Under a Chair?
• Credit sequence: An audience member breaks a chair
• Jokes about safety
• Sketch: New Spring Haven Home for the Elderly
• Sketch: An S&M couple whose safe word is: Bill Pullman (with guest star Jon Benjamin as the S&M man)
• Sketch: Pube-Safe
• Sketch: Health Class - 1231 A.D.
• Large Pad: Safety Analysis
• Sketch: A guy with a neck brace (with guest star Jon Benjamin as another guy with a neck brace)
• Sketch: An S&M couple whose safe word is: the correct pronunciation of gnocchi
• Important Things things
• Sketch: "Hear" Folk Singer
• Sketch: An S&M couple whose safe word is: heteronym
• Sketch: Dr. Elliot Nussbaum - Physicist
• More jokes about safety
• Sketch: Fairly Important Fairy Tales: The Royal Food Taster (with guest star John Oliver as the King)
• Jokes about coolness
• Sketch: Hoodwinkers (with guest star Jon Benjamin as one of the Hoodwinkers and Melissa Fumero as April)
• Sketch: Dadz (cool dadz) (with guest star Jon Benjamin as the other dad)
• Sketch: A DJ who gets up to pee in the middle of the night
• Some data about coolness
• Sketch: The Dragon Man (with guest star Jon Benjamin as the other dragon man)
• Sketch: "What" Slam Poet Champion
• Important Things things
• Sketch: Da Mici
• Other jokes about coolness
• Sketch: Dungeon Boys
• Song: Cool Ways to Propose
• Sketch: Da Mici
• Sketch: A green beret vs. a yellow jacket
• Coolness challenge
• Credit sequence: Trying to be cool with a yo-yo
• Jokes about games
• Sketch: Devon Cottenfield: Emotional Escape Artist (with guest star Ellie Kemper)
• Greater than or equal to
• Sketch: The Annihilator
• Another joke about games
• Sketch: 2009 M Games (with guest stars Jon Benjamin, John Mulaney and Eric Drysdale as themselves)
• Sketch: A tiny guy at a country club
• Sketch: A tiny guy on campus
• Other games jokes
• Sketch: Bird-Pranked
• Sketch: Da Mici
• Sketch: A tiny guy cheats at golf
• Important Things things
• Demonstration: Putting on socks and shoes using only my feet

Season 2 (2010)

• Jokes about attention
• Sketch: The Henchman (with guest star Alan Dale as the Evil Boss)
• Some data about attention
• Sketch: Bruce the Funny Dog
• Getting a girl's attention (with guest Levi Macdougall)
• This is: a guy who had a one night stand on Halloween
• Good, Bad, Interesting
• Song about forgetting someone's name
• Important Things things
• The Short Attention Span Library
• Jokes about ability
• Sketch: The Castaways
• This is: a traffic wizard
• Another joke about ability
• Sketch: Giving birth on a plane
• This is: a blind cowboy
• Some data about ability
• Sketch: Demetri's Notebook's Diary
• "Hear" Folk Singer: Zombie vs. Dracula
• More jokes about ability
• Sketch: Demetrocles
• Crazy Eyebrows (with guest Robert Newman)
• Talking to a girl
• This is important: unicycles
• Jokes about strategy
• Sketch: First Contact
• Date at the movies
• Good, Bad, Interesting
• Sketch: Property Court
• Song about strategy
• Sketch: Second slice of pizza
• Sketch: Sherlock Holmes - Victorian Bachelor
• More jokes about strategy
• Important Things things
• This is: a retired general planning his day
• Seduction strategies
• Jokes about money
• Sketch: Robot 326 prototype (with special guest Fred Willard as the scientist)
• This is: a toll booth attendant at a strip club
• Sketch: Loan shark cyclists, Part 1
• Some data about money
• Sketch: Pizza delivery
• Sketch: Asshole Roommate from the Future
• New expressions about money
• Sketch: Loan Shark Cyclists, Part 2
• This is: a creep at an ATM
• A song about money
• Jokes about 2
• Sketch: Ladies Room
• A song about 2
• Sketch: Competing Uncles
• Sketch: Déjà vu
• Sketch: Robot and Talking Tools
• Sketch: Max & Mintz - Two Straight Men
• Song: Sames and Opposites Continued
• Re-show Pete
• Jokes about 2
• Animated sketch: The Adventures of Duperman
• Sketch: The Job Interview
• Animated sketch: The Adventures of Duperman
• Drawing: Life Story
• Animated sketch: The Adventures of Duperman
• 2 Guests
• The Forgotten Civil War: East vs. West
• Pad: Doing 2 Things at Once
• Jokes about Lines
• Sketch: Search for the Skull of Lhasa
• Drawing: Adding Lines
• Sketch: Conference Call
• Important Things things: Personal Finish Line
• This is: a referee washing his car
• Quotes (In Context)
• Demetri's Notebook's Diary
• Song: Break-up Lines
• Jokes about Nature
• Sketch: Gayfoot
• New Expressions about Nature
• Sketch: The Naturalists
• Sketch: Demetrocles
• Good, Bad, Interesting
• The Forbes 100 Richest Wild Animals
• Demetri's Notebook's Diary
• Song: Ruminations
• Jokes about Space
• Sketch: Near death experience group
• Drawing: Half-staff type flags
• Sketch: Armrest
• Word Spaces
• Guys arguing with their girlfriends in beautiful places
• Sketch: New warp speed
• Sketch: Peterson's plan
• Airplane sleep positions
• Sketch: A cocky realtor
• Constellations' shapes
• Jokes about Control
• Sketch: Secret Agent James Steel
• Sketch: Asshole Roommate from the Future
• Good, Bad, Interesting
• Sketch: Gobo and Human Treaty
• New Expressions about Control
• Sketch: Order Court
• Sketch: Idol of Osar
• Music Situation

Reception

Ratings

The Comedy Central show premiered on Wednesday February 11, 2009 and attracted 2.4 million viewers, making it the best cable series show since Chappelle's Show drew 2.5 million views in 2003.

Critical reception

The show has received generally positive reviews from critics, and currently has a 71/100 rating on Metacritic, based on 8 reviews.

Cancellation

During a comedy show at College Park, Maryland on October 28, 2010, Demetri Martin confirmed that Comedy Central had not picked up the show for a third season. The first season was released on DVD on September 8, 2009, while the second season was released September 14, 2010.

References

References

1. (October 3, 2007). "Stewart stamp on 'Martin'". Hollywoodreporter.com.
2. (October 3, 2007). "Jon Stewart producing new Comedy Central show". Reuters.
3. (December 2, 2009). "'Demetri Martin' definitely important". Variety.
4. [https://www.metacritic.com/tv/shows/importantthings?q=Important%20Things%20with%20Demetri%20Martin Important Things With Demetri Martin] metacritic.com
5. [http://blip.tv/file/5034809 KPCS: Demetri Martin #107] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-07-07 Cancellation Confirmed)