Talking Dead: Where Chris Hardwick Got His Groove Back

[MichaelaRae]

And Ross does impressions. I would like the next episode of TD to be Ross doing impressions, Yvette with her notebook and Chris Hartwick in time out in the corner.

[eejm]

And Ross does impressions. I would like the next episode of TD to be Ross doing impressions, Yvette with her notebook and Chris Hartwick in time out in the corner.

 

...and Talking Dead ratings go through the roof!

[stormymac]

And Ross does impressions. I would like the next episode of TD to be Ross doing impressions, Yvette with her notebook and Chris Hartwick in time out in the corner.

His McConaughey, which he did the last time he was on and you can find on YouTube, is epic.

[Artsda]

I love that they point out that Shane would have handled things the same way as Rick did tonight. 

Edited March 7, 2016 by Artsda

[MrsRafaelBarba]

That guy Savior in the promo, played Carrie's hubby on the show Banshee.

[wait.what]

The preview that was shown: when that man called carol a bitch I thought carol was having a flashback to her abusive husband.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Wait, what?

Mindy said Michonne was scary.

Edited March 7, 2016 by MrsRafaelBarba

[Pete Martell]

What did she say about Michonne? I don't like her so I probably changed the channel or blanked out when she was on because I remember nothing.

 

She was on last season or the season before and basically just talked about how Michonne was "scary" and not a mother figure to Carl, etc. 

[Zanne]

They need to have a secret poll at the end of every TD episode - "Which guest did you like least?" They they can narrow it down to the top five most disliked guests and never invite them back. I think two slots are already filled with Marilyn Manson and JB Smoove.

[SimoneS]

She was on last season or the season before and basically just talked about how Michonne was "scary" and not a mother figure to Carl, etc. 

 

Okay, this is vaguely coming back to me. She was wearing a weird outfit or something. Tomorrow when I have some time, I will go comb through the thread to jog my memory. I cannot stand her so I probably posted that at least. It isn't surprising that she doesn't like Michonne, I don't think Kaling likes women, period. She fired almost all of them off her show.

[kia112]

You know, I was dreading JB Smoove, but I didn't find him as bad this time. Maybe it's because I was still emotional from the episode. Compromised feelings or not, that bit about Heath and his glasses was inspired.

[dirtydi]

I will be the dissenter, I thought JB was hilarious.  Didn't really answer questions, well he kinda did, but with a comedy set.   Hardwick was so thrown off, but Marquand seemed to go with it.  I felt bad  for Alanna with her voice, but she was more subdued than usual.  She seemed calm next to Smoove.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

JB Smoove.  This guy is supposed to be funny??  It was very awkward watching him try sooo hard to be hilariously funny.  A couple times he actually was, but most the time it was like watching a small child on a sugar high and ants in their pants.

 

Ross Marquand is awesome on the couch.  Should be on a lot more.

 

Alanna Masterson I'm sure is a wonderful person, but she comes off as quite awkward and unsure of herself when she's on TD.

Edited March 7, 2016 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[SimoneS]

Smoove did make laugh a few times despite his over the top act. he just tries way too hard.

 

I love that they point out that Shane would have handled things the same way as Rick did tonight. 

 

I never can take the Rick/Shane comparisons. It is a false equivalency that whitewashes Shane's evil. One his worse day, Rick is a 100 times the better man than Shane was capable of being on his best. Plus, if Shane was still alive almost everyone  in the group would be dead or lost as he abandoned them left and right along the way. 

Edited March 7, 2016 by SimoneS

[Artsda]

Smoove did make laugh a few times despite his over the top act. he just tries way too hard.

 

 

I never can take the Rick/Shane comparisons. It is a false equivalency that whitewashes Shane's evil. One his worse day, Rick is a 100 times the better man than Shane was capable of being on his best. Plus, if Shane was still alive almost everyone  in the group would be dead or lost as he abandoned them left and right along the way. 

Almost everyone from the original group with Rick's leadership is dead. lol Even Lori's death ties back to choices Rick made. 

[HalcyonDays]

Okay, J.B. Smoove...dear god, hilarious.

 

And I was having a hard time with the spelling of Savior. It looks so incredibly wrong. I'm Canadian - the proper spelling (to me) is Saviour. It just looked wrong on that montage. Like, it didn't even look like the right word.

 

Questions for loyal viewers? Does the audience and guests (and Hardwick) watch the show earlier than broadcast, or are they watching it live and responding on TTD. Because I have to admit, if it's watched at 9:00 pm, then they respond on the fly, it's pretty impressive.

[lulee]

I'm pretty sure someone - maybe Yvette - mentioned that guests typically get the episode a few days early.

[NorthstarATL]

 

 

Ross Marquand is awesome on the couch.  Should be on a lot more.

 

 

I have a couch that he would be fine on.

[solea]

This Smoove guy was on once before? And they asked him BACK?! For why? He isn't remotely funny.

Ross Marquand's voice is yummy, agreed. I'd forgotten how pretty he is; we haven't seen him hardly at all for a while.

[frogzapper]

I came here to vent about J.B. Smoove and I see I have a lot of company! I love watching The Talking Dead every week, but I was just annoyed by him. Maybe I'm feeling grumpy tonight, but I just didn't have the patience to sit through his shtick. His comments added nothing to the discussion and I kept wishing Chris would stop asking him questions! Okay, I'm done venting now!

 

On the other hand, more Ross Marquand, please! He's such a great guest and I love his impressions - his Celebrity Nano-Impressions (and all his other impressions) on YouTube are hilarious!

[Judois]

Smoove made it hard for me to get through his episode. That remark about how he keeps on shopping if a female makes a store closing announcement? As a retail veteran I found that not even remotely funny. Yes,I know he's joking but it just wasn't funny.

However,having Eoss Marquand on made it better for me. And hearing his impressions always make me laugh.

[Reghan]

Smoove made it hard for me to get through his episode. That remark about how he keeps on shopping if a female makes a store closing announcement? As a retail veteran I found that not even remotely funny. Yes,I know he's joking but it just wasn't funny.

However,having Eoss Marquand on made it better for me. And hearing his impressions always make me laugh.

I'm a current retail worker and I was like "Dude I would kick your ass out" 

[Anela]

"Someone just earned themselves a Rick Grimes notebook!" LOL.

 

I liked the impressions, too.

 

I was surprised when the girl who plays Tara, said they have all these great ways of hiding pregnancy. They've never hidden hers. 

[Bryce Lynch]

JB Smoove is the opposite of funny. He is the worst kind of comedian. He thinks he is hilarious, but makes you groan and cringe.

[HollyG]

J.B. Smoove is on again?

Are you fucking kidding me, you assholes?

 

Thank you! I came here purposely to see if I was the only one annoyed at tonights guest. (JB Smoove)  He's awful. Right up there with Marilyn Manson. He obviously feels he needs to comment on everything... even if it's not connected to the topic. And when his jokes don't 'land', he continues talking and trying to fix it to get a laugh.  So unfunny!

[Peanut]

I teach ninth grade.  Smoove reminds me of my more obnoxious students.  Occasionally, they will come up with something funny, but 98% of the time they are just annoying and I just need to get through the lesson, you know?  

 

I did not make it through TD tonight.  Sorry, guys.  I have a week of 14 year old boys ahead of me, and this was too much on a Sunday night.

[ghoulina]

You know, when I saw that both Alanna and JB Smoove were going to be on, I pondered just going to bed when TWD was over. 

 

But Alanna surprised me. I don't know if it was because she was losing her voice, but she wasn't nearly as obnoxious as last time. There was no talking over people and trying to monopolize the conversation. She wasn't trying super de duper hard to sound funny and cool. She was calm, reasonable, and even gave some insightful answers. Good on you, Alanna. Maybe having a child has matured her a bit. 

 

JB, on the other hand, was just as horrible as ever. Ugh. He's the worst. It's so obvious that he does not even take this show seriously. "Abe should have stayed with Rosita until Sasha showed a bit of her thong, because Rosita is guaranteed ass". "Carol and Maggie will be fine, because they were captured by girls, and we all know girls can't do shit". Does he even WATCH this show??? All of his answers were vulgar, narrow minded, and sexist. Please. Do not ever have him on again. 

 

Ross Marquand was the real delight of course. He is humble, insightful, and funny when it calls for it. I always love his impressions as well! If/when they kill Aaron off, he has a brilliant career ahead of him. ;P

[ghoulina]

I never can take the Rick/Shane comparisons. It is a false equivalency that whitewashes Shane's evil. One his worse day, Rick is a 100 times the better man than Shane was capable of being on his best. Plus, if Shane was still alive almost everyone  in the group would be dead or lost as he abandoned them left and right along the way.

 

Thank you!!! Exactly. You really cannot compare the two. Rick certainly has come a long way and is able to be ruthless when need be. Shane wanted to be ruthless with members of their own group. It's not even close to the same thing, in my eyes. 

[SimoneS]

Almost everyone from the original group with Rick's leadership is dead. lol Even Lori's death ties back to choices Rick made. 

 

No matter how many times, this oversimplification of events is repeated to make every death somehow Rick's fault so that somehow it means that Shane wasn't that bad, does not make it true.

Edited March 7, 2016 by SimoneS

[diebartdie]

JB, <snip>Ugh. He's the worst. Does he even WATCH this show??? All of his answers were vulgar, narrow minded, and sexist. Please. Do not ever have him on again. 

 

Until last season, I really wasnt a regular Talking Back viewer so this was my first time experiencing the Smoove character and I hated it, couldnt even make it through the entire episode it was so unfunny and offensive. Hardwick can be really crass and immature but this Smoove guy was so far over the top.....I dont care who else might be on the show with him the next time he's on, I wont watch it. I mean it could be MMB, AL, Yvette and Nathan Fillion and if Smoove was there too, I still would not watch it.

[Pete Martell]

So, Alana Masterson was on Talking Dead last night? I'm worried that Tara might bite it this season, so here's a question:

 

Has there ever been an exiting cast member on the show a few weeks before they were the "surprise guest" or was there ever an actor who didn't appear on TD as a surprise guest after having been killed off? 

 

I think Emily Kinney was on a few weeks before Beth died (well about 4-5 weeks, as I think she was there for "Slabtown"), although she appeared again when she died (I still remember all the furore over that appearance...).

 

I hope it does mean Tara lives. Not sure it really does though.

[nachomama]

JB just doesn't know how to turn off "JB Smoov", it's one thing to have a funny one liner, it's another to just try and shove your routine in. I did snort when he said female announcer's telling shoppers to hurry up because on weekends I live that and almost told someone they didn't need to run but also nearly smacked some teenagers upside the head. But he is a truly annoying guest. 

[WInterfalls]

So, Alana Masterson was on Talking Dead last night? I'm worried that Tara might bite it this season, so here's a question:

 

Has there ever been an exiting cast member on the show a few weeks before they were the "surprise guest" or was there ever an actor who didn't appear on TD as a surprise guest after having been killed off? 

 

Laurie Holden was on two or three weeks before Andrea died and you could tell there was something off.  She even teared up a bit.  She wasn't on after she died but I remember Hardwick mentioned how that all made sense now. 

[kj4ever]

I just couldn't make it through, even with Ross on.  Alana was waaaay better and waaaay less annoying this time around.  She needs to lose her voice more often.

 

The Smoov dude though.  I. Just. Couldn't.

[Irishmaple]

I made it through the whole show because at the halfway point I hit the mute button when JB Smoove opened his mouth. The guy was unnecessarily crude and his jokes misfired more often than not. I thought he'd been on before but couldn't remember when so I'm optimistic I'll soon forget his asinine remarks about Glenn and Maggie, and Sasha and Rosita.

Ross Marquand was excellent and I liked his fanwank that the infiltration of the Saviour complex went so well because Abe and Rosita trained the crew in military precision. Something the show decided I did not need to see or hear about.

[Eyes High]

So much secondhand embarrassment from JB Smoove.

 

Ross Marquand is a delight, though. I loved his impressions.

Edited March 7, 2016 by Eyes High

[seacliffsal]

I ended up fast forwarding through all the JB Smooth stuff. It was interesting to note that there were several times when he went on for 2-3 minutes of just saying a lot of words that didn't make sense when strung together. Chris seemed to love him-which really makes me question his taste levels. Ross and Alana were ignored in favored of JB? Ridiculous. And, Alana was so much better than before!

[kj4ever]

I made it through the whole show because at the halfway point I hit the mute button when JB Smoove opened his mouth. The guy was unnecessarily crude and his jokes misfired more often than not. I thought he'd been on before but couldn't remember when so I'm optimistic I'll soon forget his asinine remarks about Glenn and Maggie, and Sasha and Rosita.

Ross Marquand was excellent and I liked his fanwank that the infiltration of the Saviour complex went so well because Abe and Rosita trained the crew in military precision. Something the show decided I did not need to see or hear about.

Excellent!  I will finish watching when I get get home today with remote and mute button in hand!

[weightyghost]

 

Has there ever been an exiting cast member on the show a few weeks before they were the "surprise guest" or was there ever an actor who didn't appear on TD as a surprise guest after having been killed off?

 

As the people above said, Emily Kinney was on twice in the 5A half, once for her solo episode and one for her death. Laurie was on two episodes before she died, but not the one she actually died on. 

 

And on the other hand, Alexandra Breckinrage was on in 5B and 6A, but then was absent for her death episode. David Morrissey was on two episodes before his death episode (probably because Scott Wilson died the same episode and he was on instead). Sarah Wayne Callies never made an appearance. 

 

So while more often than not, if you're a relatively major character and you die, you go on Talking Dead. But it's not every single time and the closeness of your last appearance doesn't really matter. 

 

 

I desperately want the show to stop having 3 people on the couch. It gets so complicated, no one gets to talk enough, and it's impossible to dive into any aspect of the show.

[seacliffsal]

It was pretty funny when Alana stated that one couldn't really tell she was pregnant as she 'didn't let herself go'-no Alana, a lot of us knew you were pregnant, and it's not that one lets themselves go when pregnant, it's because, well, one is pregnant. The show has been trying to hide it...the clean dishes drying this episode was a bit too much though.

[Eyes High]

It was pretty funny when Alana stated that one couldn't really tell she was pregnant as she 'didn't let herself go'-no Alana, a lot of us knew you were pregnant, and it's not that one lets themselves go when pregnant, it's because, well, one is pregnant. The show has been trying to hide it...the clean dishes drying this episode was a bit too much though.

 

My SO commented when watching 6x12 "Wow...Alanna Masterson's really pregnant."

[bosawks]

My favorite part was watching Ross be practically in Alana's lap by the end of the episode as he was getting away from JB Smoove.

[eejm]

It was pretty funny when Alana stated that one couldn't really tell she was pregnant as she 'didn't let herself go'-no Alana, a lot of us knew you were pregnant, and it's not that one lets themselves go when pregnant, it's because, well, one is pregnant. The show has been trying to hide it...the clean dishes drying this episode was a bit too much though.

 

I noticed the clean dish camouflage too.  Hee.

 

Alanna's face got very round, which couldn't really be disguised.  I had a tougher time telling that Sonequa was pregnant last year because her face didn't seem to change much.  Sasha's devotion to Bob's army jacket also made more sense than Tara wearing a hoodie when everyone else was clearly sweating buckets.  

 

I've got to hand it to Sonequa and Alanna, though - running around in million degree heat for long hours while heavily pregnant is pretty impressive.  I was pretty useless in my last month of pregnancy being bloated, achy, and so over it.

[magdalene]

Most annoying guest ever - I had to tune out after 10 minutes.

[Pixel]

They need to have a secret poll at the end of every TD episode - "Which guest did you like least?" They they can narrow it down to the top five most disliked guests and never invite them back. I think two slots are already filled with Marilyn Manson and JB Smoove.

i was just coming here to say exactly this, except I'd also include Hannibal Burress. Edited March 8, 2016 by Pixel

[maystone]

I just saw on AMC that Melissa McBride is the guest on TTD this Sunday. This can't be good news for Carol. Please don't let it be The Couch of Doom for her. Please!

[Nashville]

On the plus side, this is the least annoying I recall Masterson ever being on TTD.

I put it down to a combo of approaching laryngitis + new-baby lack of sleep.

[RedheadZombie]

I just saw on AMC that Melissa McBride is the guest on TTD this Sunday. This can't be good news for Carol. Please don't let it be The Couch of Doom for her. Please!

Didn't they give up announcing a guest whose character will die that night? It caused too much anxiety for viewers. It seems in the last season or two that the killed off actor is a surprise guest. Or maybe I'm making that up.

[peach]

Didn't they give up announcing a guest whose character will die that night? It caused too much anxiety for viewers. It seems in the last season or two that the killed off actor is a surprise guest. Or maybe I'm making that up.

Lately, Chris Hardwick has even been pleading with the audience to remember that even a surprise guest doesn't mean someone is getting killed.  I think the whole game they play with this show came back to bite them in the ass when they were playing another game with Glenn's "death" in the real show.  It seems like you really can't read anything into it either way.  And Danai got the guest spot over something good, which was the Richonne hookup.

[Irishmaple]

I've been uncomfortable for a while with the tradition of having the performer on the same night on which their final episode aired. Scott Wilson barely hung on to his sense of humour when Hardwick had the cast of his head, Emily Kinney was in bits and even the kid who played Ron was down. It might be time to abandon that and wait a week or so for the dearly departed to guest on the couch. Regardless of what Hardwick says, I still get wary when he announces a surprise guest.