school project for pop culture in media

1. The media piece I decided to write about is the infamous Chappelle’s Show (2003-2006).
This tv show has variously fueled pop culture from the skits making fun of past/current pop
culture events like The Mad Real World (The Real World), the Racial Draft (sports-drafts), Tron
Carter (Law & Order), Black Bush (President George Bush) Tupac is Still Alive (a conspiracy
that is still on going to this day), Dave’s MTV Cribs Episode (MTV Cribs), and many more. One
of the most notable highlights of this show that pop culture still talks about today is Charlie
Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories. These stories/episodes became so popular that there are
memes and GIF’s that have been generated on social media from this 2003 phenomenon. Not
only did this show take comedy to new heights, but Dave Chappelle also bridged the gap
between comedy and Hip-Hop with special music guest performances in each episode.
Since the unfortunate departure of Dave Chappelle from his show, there have been many
attempts to recreate his show. Chappelle even explained on his first Netflix special, The Age of
Spin (2017), how he felt that Key & Peele (2012-2015) had too many similarities, besides being
on the same network. Even after the show’s end in 2006, the public’s tv viewing preferences
were mainly geared towards sketch comedy shows like The Andy Milonakis Show (2005-2007),
Mind of Mencia (2005-2008), Loiter Squad (2012-2014), Tosh.0 (2009-2020) and others. This
new comedy wave also amplified the viewings of then-current established shows like MadTV
(1995-2016) and Saturday Night Live (1975-present).
The best/worst aspect of Dave’s show, depending on whom you ask, was that everyone
was represented in some way form, or fashion. Some are negative, and some are positive. I
watched Chappelle’s Show because you never knew what was going to happen on the next
episode. One week on Dave’s show you watching “A moment in the life of Lil John” then next
week you’re watching “When keeping it real goes wrong”. Yet, even with the success of many
skits, there were a lot of skits that were borderline according to some. For instance, Pedersen

2. (2003) stated “…it’s frustrating to watch the talented comic and his cast repeatedly resort to
gratuitous bleeping as a conduit for laughs” (para. 4). Even though streaming was not around
when Chappelle’s Show was first created, it has become one of the most rewatched and talked
about shows that have been brought out of the tv world vault for consumer consumption and
engagement.
References/Citations:
The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium (TV Special 2017). (2017,
March 21). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6648926/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_9
The Andy Milonakis Show (TV Series 2005–2007). (2005, June 26). IMDb.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460621/
Bradley, L. (2017, April 12). Relive Charlie Murphy’s “True Hollywood Stories” About Prince
and Rick. Vanity Fair. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/04/charlie-murphy-
death-true-hollywood-stories-rick-james-prince
Cobb, J. (2021, October 24). The Power of Dave Chappelle’s Comedy. The New Yorker.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/01/the-power-of-dave-chappelles-
comedy-netflix-the-closer
Falcone, D. R. (2015, May 9). Andy Milonakis on his MTV show’s reboot, rap career, and
comedy heroes. EW.Com. https://ew.com/article/2015/05/08/andy-milonakis-his-mtv-
shows-reboot-rap-career-and-comedy-heroes/
Goodman, W. (2020, November 25). Unforgiven: A Timeline of Dave Chappelle’s Falling-Out
With ViacomCBS Over ‘Chappelle’s Show.’ Complex. https://www.complex.com/pop-
culture/dave-chappelle-show-viacomcbs-comedy-central-timeline/

3. Hein, M. (2020, November 1). “Chappelle’s Show” Is Now on Netflix. Streaming.
https://popculture.com/streaming/news/chappelles-show-is-now-on-netflix/
Jang, M. (2017, March 20). Dave Chappelle Explains Why Watching ‘Key & Peele’ “Hurts His
Feelings. The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-
news/dave-chappelle-explains-why-watching-key-peele-hurts-his-feelings-987492/
Kameir, R. (2017, November 8). Why Chappelle’s Show Will Always Be Important To Anyone
With A Creative Spirit. The FADER. https://www.thefader.com/2016/07/27/chappelles-
show-interviews
Key and Peele (TV Series 2012–2015). (2012, January 31). IMDb.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1981558/
Loiter Squad (TV Series 2012–2014). (2012, March 25). IMDb.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2272367/
MacLeish, J. (2020, April 29). For a Time, the Story of Culture Was Told Through ‘The Real
World.’ The Ringer. https://www.theringer.com/tv/2020/4/29/21240341/the-real-world-
cultural-influence-chappelles-show-parodies
MADtv (TV Series 1995–2016). (1995, October 14). IMDb.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112056/
McKay, K. (2021, September 7). ‘Key & Peele’: The Comedy Duo Once Shared the Inspiration
Behind Substitute Teacher Comedy Skit. Showbiz Cheat Sheet.

4. https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/key-and-peele-shares-inspiration-behind-
famous-comedy-skits.html/
Mind of Mencia (TV Series 2005–2008). (2005, July 6). IMDb.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468999/
Pedersen, E. (2022, January 22). 'Chappelle's show': Thr's 2003 review. The Hollywood
Reporter. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-
news/chappelles-show-review-2003-tv-show-1177687/
Staff, T. (2012, February 1). Pop Culture Moment #1: Chappelle’s Show Premieres. 97.9 The
Box. https://theboxhouston.com/8811002/pop-culture-moment-1-chappelles-show-
premieres/
Tosh.0 (TV Series 2009–2020). (2009, June 4). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1430587/
Weingarten, C. R. (2020, February 26). 40 greatest sketch-comedy TV shows of all time. Rolling
Stone. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-lists/40-
greatest-sketch-comedy-tv-shows-of-all-time-142581/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff8LEx9Mw54