| W/ Bob & David | |
|---|---|
 Title card for the show | |
| Genre | Sketch comedy |
| Created by | |
| Written by |
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| Directed by | |
| Starring |
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| Theme music composer | Cyriak |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 (and 1 special) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Running time | 27–33 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | November 13, 2015 (2015-11-13) |
W/ Bob & David is an Americansketch comedy television series created by and starringBob Odenkirk andDavid Cross that premiered onNetflix on November 13, 2015.[1][2] The sketch show consists of four half-hour episodes plus an hour-long making-of special entitled "Behind the Making of the Scenes".[3] It is anhomage to the 1995–1998HBO sketch comedy seriesMr. Show with Bob and David, which also starred Odenkirk and Cross.W/ Bob & David shares many of the same supporting cast members and writing team of the earlier series, and its title is also a variation of that ofMr. Show. Odenkirk describedW/ Bob & David as "lighter", "less complex" and "faster" thanMr. Show.[4]
Shooting began on April 15, 2015.[1]W/ Bob & David is written and executive produced by Odenkirk and Cross. Marc Provissiero and Naomi Odenkirk,Tim Sarkes,Dave Kneebone,Tim Heidecker, andEric Wareheim also produce.[5] The four episodes, which were released simultaneously on November 13, 2015, had the studio segments directed byKeith Truesdell and the pre-recorded segments directed byJason Woliner, except for the fourth episode, in whichTom Gianas also directed the pre-recorded segments. The hour-long making of special was directed byLance Bangs.
The opening title sequence was created by digital artist and musicianCyriak Harris. Bob & David contacted Cyriak to create the opening sequence with a hands-off approach, only asking him to not make it specifically like standard TV credits but more like his viral YouTube videos. His signature style of beat sequenced animations to original music compositions featuring morphing branches of elements from still photos and videos created in Adobe After Effects.[6] is greatly inspired by, and has been compared toTerry Gilliam's animated sequences used in the British sketch comedy show,Monty Python's Flying Circus,[7] a significant inspiration for the show's creators and its featured crossing of sketches with transitional videos and animated elements.[8]
| No. | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | November 13, 2015 (2015-11-13) | |
A sketch comedy series written by and starring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. In the series opener, the guys are dishonorably discharged from the Navy SEALs. | |||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | November 13, 2015 (2015-11-13) | |
Bob and David disagree with Standards and Practices; cops get sensitive with a witness; and a man is inspired to create a musical at the dry cleaners. | |||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | November 13, 2015 (2015-11-13) | |
Digital is the new gospel; an anti-police operation goes wrong; and a skier turns into a major cultural figure. Note: This episode was removed from Netflix in 2020, due to a segment in which Cross wearsblackface. | |||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | November 13, 2015 (2015-11-13) | |
Mothers are spotlighted; a boy has a controversial journey to Heaven; salesmen tell their stories; and Bob sneaks in a skit, much to David's dismay | |||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | November 13, 2015 (2015-11-13) | |
Go behind the scenes in this hour-long special where Bob and David reveal what it takes to put on a sketch show in their own special way. | |||
W/ Bob & David received positive reviews from critics. On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 89%, based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 7.64/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "W/ Bob & David offers a long-overdue reunion betweenMr. Show principals Odenkirk and Cross – and a suitably hilarious reminder of the reasons for their subsequent individual successes."[9] OnMetacritic, the series has a score of 76 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
In June 2020, Netflix removed the third episode of the show, due to a segment in which Cross's character wearsblackface. Both he and Odenkirk objected to the decision, with Cross saying the scene was meant to satirize the character's "ridiculous foolish[ness]".[11]
In an August 2016 interview withThe A.V. Club, Cross stated "We will absolutely do some more of that at some point. It's really tough. Bob and I really want to do it, Netflix would like us to do it again, everybody's on board. It's just a matter of scheduling, and Bob's got a very strict, specific schedule withBetter Call Saul."[12]
In an August 2022 interview on the podcastComedy Bang! Bang!, Odenkirk stated that it was unlikely there would be another season of the show, citing the age of the cast.[13]
