| Michael & Michael Have Issues | |
|---|---|
 Series promotional intertitle | |
| Created by | Michael Ian Black Michael Showalter |
| Starring | Michael Ian Black Michael Showalter Josh Pais |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Michael Ian Black Michael Showalter Lou Wallach Jim Biederman |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Comedy Central |
| Release | July 15 (2009-07-15) – August 26, 2009 (2009-08-26) |
Michael & Michael Have Issues (sometimes abbreviatedMMHI) is a cable television comedy series starring comedians and actorsMichael Ian Black andMichael Showalter, who created the series. Both comedians appeared together in several TV comedy series, includingThe State, andStella. The show premiered on July 15, 2009, onComedy Central.[1] Showalter and Black confirmed on March 3, 2010, via theirTwitter accounts that the show had been canceled.[2][3][4]
The series starred Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter playing fictionalized versions of themselves. As stated in a 2009New York Times article, "Mr. Black and Mr. Showalter play the bickering stars of a sketch comedy program who never miss an opportunity to undermine each other. In between skits about stores that sell only sweatpants and characters like John the British Fork Offerer, narrative segments chronicle the not-so-fictional frenemies who constantly step on each other’s toes, even in seemingly inconsequential situations like an interview for a high school newspaper or the search for a birthday gift for their producer."[5]
| No. | Title | Original release date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Greg the Intern" | July 15, 2009 (2009-07-15) | 101 |
Jealousies flare when Black and Showalter battle for their intern's (Greg) admiration. Sketches: Teenage Abstinence. | |||
| 2 | "Biederman's Birthday" | July 22, 2009 (2009-07-22) | 102 |
What to give the boss who has everything? Pot. Sketches: King's Gift, Weatherman. | |||
| 3 | "Matchmakers" | July 29, 2009 (2009-07-29) | 103 |
Black and Showalter conspire to play cupid.[6] | |||
| 4 | "Pulling Your Weight" | August 5, 2009 (2009-08-05) | 104 |
Black leaves the brunt of the workload for Showalter.[6] | |||
| 5 | "College" | August 12, 2009 (2009-08-12) | 105 |
Black and Showalter secure a college gig.[6] | |||
| 6 | "Sh... Bag House" | August 19, 2009 (2009-08-19) | 106 |
Showalter proves to be a problematic houseguest.[6] | |||
| 7 | "Frogbox" | August 26, 2009 (2009-08-26) | 107 |
The guys agree to appear on a competing sketch show.[6] | |||
The series received a mix of good and bad reviews. TheHartford Advocate stated that "WithMichael and Michael Have Issues, they've made arguably perfect comedy for the Comedy Central audience, which is basically everyone."[7] Randee Dawn ofThe Hollywood Reporter commented, "the Michaels have raw material in spades. Thus far, they haven't been able to harness it and make it consistently funny. For now,MMHI's real issue is that it's likely to be just another in a string of missed opportunities."[8] In theBoston Globe, Joanna Weiss wrote, "Black and Showalter work together perfectly..." and "It’s a lot to cram into a measly half-hour, but each part - and each person - makes the other one funnier."[9] IGN gave the first season a 7/10 stating that "it was a good season but never great" and that none of the episodes truly stood out.[10]
Soon after the show was canceled,Comedy Central began airing reruns of the first season, to whichMichael Ian Black responded via hisTwitter account:
"Apparently Comedy Central is airing my canceled show right now, to which I graciously say, "FUCK YOU, Comedy Central."[11]