The History Channel, have sent the phenomenally popular Larry the Cable Guy across America to highlight interesting people and places about the great country in which we live. Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy premieres on February 8th at 9 PM. We were given the chance to see to it the episodes from the series and found it to be a good idea in need of fine tuning.
In one of the episodes Larry travels to the deep South to talk with actual Moonshiners about their illegal craft and how fleeing the authorities on the back roads gave rise to modern-day NASCAR.
It was very interesting to see not only how generations of families continue to make illegal whiskey but how much effort went in to crafting and hiding their stills and constructing and maintaining their escape vehicles. Larry was definitely in his element and interacted very easily with both the shiners and the drivers.
In another episode, Larry went to NASA to explore what it takes to be an astronaut and just how far we’ve come from the early missions and control rooms. It was fascinating to learn that a modern smart phone has more capabilities and power than the entire mission control room that put a man on the moon. It was also funny to watch Larry go through some of the astronaut training but it was very awkward watching Larry interact with some of the scientists and astronauts.
For example, one astronaut was attempting to show Larry how the zero gravity toilet works. While Larry was very attentive he constantly attempted to insert shtick into the segment which seemed to frustrate the person he was interviewing who was more concerned about presenting the material in a scientifically accurate and professional manner and did not seem to have room for toilet humor.
Two other segments had Larry going to the Dells Wisconsin to look at water parks as well as the numerous lakes in the area and their historical significance. This is where Larry was truly shining as his one-liners while he was tearing down the insane twists and turns of the waterpark were truly inspired and funny.
Another segment had Larry in Vegas performing as a Larry the Cable Guy impersonator in the long running Legends show which features numerous celebrity impersonators.
It was funny to hear some of the comments from the audience after the show particularly how well and not so well they felt the performer did with impersonating Larry not knowing it was the real McCoy all along.
Larry is extremely likable but I’m concerned that the historical aspect of the show is being toned down to appeal to the Wal-mart crowd that has made Larry such an icon. While he’s extremely funny when he’s doing his standup routines there needs to be more of a balance between humor and interviews as not every response should be a queue for a wisecrack.
