Adam:
“Chicks are like cats dude. If you don’t keep their attention they’ll, wait…for…on…ff…on top of the refrigerator.”
Monthly Archives: November 2012
The Best of Workaholics
*Post Warning: Crude/Sexual Humor, Illegal Substances (Obviously)
I have been sitting here, looking at the list of all the episodes to date and I can honestly say that I can’t pick a favorite one. Through 30 episodes we’ve seen it all (at least we think). Rigging drug test, child predators, drug dealer weddings, raccoon kicking, co-workers on mushrooms, pranking dead people, drunk calling their boss? This show has no limits.
Since I can’t pick a favorite episode, let’s go with my top 5 favorite scenes from Workaholics through season 3. S’ko!
Photo Courtesy: comedycentral.com
5. How Much?: “In the Line of Getting Fired” (S1, E10) (Video)
The conversation on the way to work: How much money would it take for you to suck a man’s junk? (Conditions: Adam can pick the guy, just not Anders or Blake) Adam will do it for $100,000, $75,000, and even $5,000. That least amount he would do it for? $900! Oh yeah, then Anders hits the CEO of their company when Adam makes that bold statement.
4. Hot Temp Conversation: “Temp-Tress” (S2, E3) (Video)
Yes, I do have Adam’s opening impression memorized. It’s hard not to when you’ve seen it as much as I have. This scene shows the guys in their cubicle talking about how distracting and hot the new temp in the office is. But she’s too hot to be real and probably dates hot dudes. She’s so hot that Blake can’t even look at her or he will “pre” in his pants.
3. Get Out of Work Free Pass: “We Be Ballin’” (S1, E2) (Video)
Home of the famous bear jacket and “fur sure” quote. “B**** better have my honey!” After Blake buys a bear jacket he only has $5 left. A bottle of ipecac sounds like a good investment. But it wouldn’t make Adam vomit…so he thinks. I guess the scientists had their hypotenuses right. (Someone tell Adam what a hypothesis is)
2. We’ve Run Out of Things We Smeeoke: “True Dromance” (S3, E2) (Video)
The guys have run out of weed and need to find some since their drug dealer is no where to be found. The tattoo parlor sounds like a good place to look. But they don’t want to be too obvious about what they are looking for. After Adam gets a belly button ring, the worker still won’t hook them up! Good thing the tattoo artist next to them is one of the best dealers in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
1. Car Chase: “Man Up” (S2, E9) (Video)
If you watch any clip from this post, this is the one to check out. When coming up with this list, I really didn’t think this would make #1, until I remember how hard I was laughing when I saw it for the first time. After the guys kick a homeless man’s raccoon, Anders has to teach the man how to drive his car after he steals it. To prove their masculinity, Adam and Blake chase after them in hopes of saving Ders. Blake is a first time driver as Adam harpoons the back tire of Anders car. With Adam still holding the gun, Anders car stops…but his doesn’t, taking Adam for an unexpected ride through the air…and asphalt.
Comment and let’s hear your favorite scene from Workaholics.
Inside the Jokes: “Man Up” (Season 2, Episode 9)
If you’re a fan of the show and reading this blog post, I would recommend watching the episode I’m about talk about after reading this. This style of comedy produced in Workaholics is something I’ve never seen before. It’s crude, but true. It’s immature, but involves working in the “real world”. It’s not something you’d expect out of college grads, well maybe a little, but not to this extreme.
I’m hooked when I start watching an episode, even if I don’t understand all the jokes that the guys say. And that’s why I wanted to look into some of these. This blog post will analyze some of the jokes and clarify some stuff in the episode “Man Up”.
Quick Plot Summary: Anders, Adam, and Blake are invited to a Rhianna concert by Jillian, but when a bouncer at the bar makes Adam cry, they all realize that they aren’t the manly men they thought they were so they go on a manly journey to prove their masculinity.
Anders Version of Hunting
- When the bouncer won’t allow Adam to sing karaoke he insinuates that the guys are gay. (Video Clip)
Anders: “We’re all friends here. No need for the name calling.”
Bouncer: “F*** off Eddy Bauer!”
(Eddy Bauer is a clothing store chain selling to men, women, and children.)
- When the guys try to buy guns to hunt they are rejected by the clerk because of the 10-day waiting period. (Video Clip)
Blake: “We have the right to bear guns. I know that’s a fact. That’s one of the commandments.”
Gun Clerk: “Dude, it’s the law.”
(Blake is trying to refer to the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: The right to keep and bear arms.)
- When Blake states his dislike for fish and Adam then pulls out chewing tobacco for the guys to all try.
Blake: “But fish aren’t animals, they’re like the rodents of the sea. Actually I wouldn’t mind if we just cemented over the ocean. I hate fish.”
Adam: “Speaking of oceans, who wants to take…a dip?”
(Probably my favorite line of the entire episode. Adam is comparing taking a “dip” in the sea to chewing tobacco, which is also called dip.)
- When Adam is describing how he would kill a mountain lion.
Adam: “Do you think a mountain lion would fit on the roof of the Vo? (Anders’ car, Volvo) Minus the head of course, ‘cause I’ve already exploded that off…Gears of War style.”
(Adam is referring to the shooter video game Gears of War where soldiers kill monsters.)
- When Anders and Blake encourage Adam to kill the wounded raccoon.
Blake: “Yeah we’re hunting. It’s cool! Adam finish him. (In a softer, quitter voice) Babality.”
Adam: “Ahh good call. Babality.”
(Bablity is a move used in the video game “Mortal Combat II” that turns your opponent into the infant version of the character.)
I could write about a lot more jokes but I’ll let you try to figure out some of these jokes yourselves. Have fun!
I had to add this one…
- When Anders comes to the realization that they weren’t cut out for hunting and all the manly activities.
Blake: “Hey what the heck. This may not be our Will Forte.”
(I’ll let you put this one together…genius comedy.)
Episode & Script Structure
Script from “Old Man Ders” (Season 2, Episode 5)
Edit: (3/19/13) I have been breaking down the structure like crazy. The show works mostly in a 4-act structure (separated by commercials) with a few exceptions. This episode uses the 4 act structure, but I will leave this post up (even though incorrect) for the additional information.
I’ve never analyzed a television show like I have for Workaholics. After doing a little research and learning some of the basics of screen writing for television, I’ve been able to dissect episodes, scene-by-scene, and understand the process by which these ideas become scripts then the final product. The time and effort put into these 21-22 minutes episodes is almost mind blowing (for me at least).
Workaholics as a whole follows the adventures of Anders, Adam, and Blake as they combine work & play at home and the office and then usually one or two completely new scenes and settings per episode. I’ve broken down several episodes for the purpose of learning about the screenwriting process and a solid example from the show comes from the episode “Temp-Tress” (Season 2, Episode 3).
Television sitcoms usually contain 1 main storyline (“A” Storyline) throughout the 3-act episode and two more subplots (“B” & “C” Storylines) and Workaholics is no exception. This show usually contains around 18-20 individual scenes/settings with the “A” storyline usually present in some way in every scene. The “B” and “C” storylines are added to create some type of humor and conflict and eventually ties into the main storyline. These sub-storylines usually take up around 8-10 scenes with the main storyline present in the some of the scenes as well. Let’s breakdown the episode:
Episode summary: When the guys plan to host WrestleMania at their house, they come across a major problem when Adam breaks the TV and they need a new one. The guys compete with the office in a sales contest to win a refrigerator with a TV monitor on the door but that becomes a problem when the new temp is too hot for the guys to concentrate.
Storyline “A”: The guy’s quest to win a new TV for their living room.
Storyline “B”: The guy’s fight for Naomi’s (temp) attention and love.
Storyline “C”: Jillian (office secretary) tries to become best friends with the new temp.
This episode mainly takes place inside the Telamericorp office with the exception of the opening and closing scenes at their house. I can breakdown the scenes and storylines by acts:
ACT ONE
Scenes: Home (living room, roof), The Office (conference room, their cubicle, Naomi’s cubicle, break room, Alice’s office)
Storylines: A (4/10 scenes), B (4/10 scenes), C (3/10 scenes)
ACT TWO
Scenes: Office (Alice’s office, parking lot {car}, guy’s cubicle)
Storylines: A (4/5 scenes), B (4/5 scenes), C (1/5 scenes)
ACT THREE
Scenes: Office (guy’s cubicle, Montez’s cubicle, Alice’s office {outside}, parking lot) Home (living room)
Storylines: A (6/6 scenes), B (1/6 scenes), C (1/6 scenes)
The Show’s Reality
This Will Make Sense Later…
No, definitely not reality television.
I’m learning something new every time I watch (well now re-watch) an episode of Workaholics. Ders, Adam, and Blake all play exaggerated versions of themselves on the show, but some of the stories, jokes, and storylines of the show actually came from their real lives.
Even before I started writing this blog I was a huge fan of the show. I watched it, researched it, and watched it again. After awhile you feel like you may even know too much about the personal lives about these guys. Creepy? Maybe, but knowing the history behind these guys just makes the show that much funnier. Let me explain:
Season 1, Episode 2: “We Be Ballin’”
The guy’s throw a house party and the previous owner’s of the house show up and Adam tries to intimidate them to get them to leave. Adam’s Quote: “And I tried out for the high school wrestling team. And guess what? I almost made it too. But they said being a mascot was more my skill set. (Makes cheerleading hand gestures) Go Patriots!” (Adam Devine graduated from Millard South High School in Omaha, Nebraska. The mascot? The Patriots.)
Season 1, Episode 3: “Office Campout”
The guy’s stay the night in the office because they can’t stay at their house. So what do they do? Drugs of course (mushrooms to be exact). But where did this idea come from? In my last blog post I mentioned their web series 5th Year, and that idea actually came from the episode “Mushroom Tea”. The entire Workaholics episode “The Promotion” (S1E4) comes from this web series as well.
Season 3, Episode 10: “Flashback In The Day”
The episode flashes back to Adam and Blake’s first day of college where they meet for the first time. Adam’s character is taking multiple classes involving women’s studies and human sexuality (Adam Devine studied Human Sexuality at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania). Blake’s character is a theatre major (that was also true.) I could see this actually happing.
And those are just the first 3 examples I can come up with just off the top of my head. And another interesting fact: Anders, Adam, and Blake all work as telemarketers at Telamericacorp. (They also worked as telemarketers in college before their success as the “Workaholics”.)
The Show (As Told By GIFS)
If you’e never seen Workaholics, you’re missing out. But if just want a quick preview…enjoy:
How Was the Show Created?
Personally, I would have loved to been there, in the writer’s room, just listening to these guys pitch their own ideas for the pilot. These guys were just hoping not to be canceled, but 30 episodes and over a year a half later they are still going strong (and the next 10 are on the way)!
But how did Comedy Central even find these guys?
We can start from the beginning…Blake Anderson (Blake) and Kyle Newacheck (Karl/Director) grew up together in Northern California and both attended community college in Orange County. These two then met Adam DeVine (Adam) who later introduced his friend from improv class, Anders Holm (Ders). While Kyle was in film school in L.A., the guys concentrated their time on comedy, performing stand-up and taking acting classes. They all began making YouTube videos in early 2006 and that led to where they are today.
They were all fans of sketch comedy so that was their main outlet on YouTube. When asked why they started to make videos for the Internet, they replied that it was a fun thing to do, and a way to express their creativity and what they thought was funny. They had hoped for a movie or TV show about their ideas, but that wasn’t the intent of their productions, they were looking for a buck or two. Their YouTube channel was called Mail Order Comedy, and it is still up today (despite the inactivity since Dec. 1, 2009).
With several popular web series and sketches such as “The Wizards” and “Crossbows & Mustaches”, Comedy Central contacted the guys after discovering their web series “5th Year”. (You can find all the episodes here)
5th Year IS the show Workaholics, minus the Comedy Central budget. With only 5 episodes (4-5 minutes long), the ideas from 5th Year were actually the concepts behind some full Workaholics episodes. For example:
5th Year, Episode 1: “The Promotion” = Workaholics, Season 1, Ep. 4: “The Promotion”
Once Comedy Central contacted the guys about producing the show, it has been all-uphill from there.
Be sure to check out all the links inside this post!
The Other Cubicle
Photo Courtesy: comedycentral.com
I wonder what the other employees of Telamericorp are doing when Anders, Adam, and Blake aren’t destroying the office…
Now you can check it out “The Other Cubicle”, the web series spin-off following Montez Walker, Waymond Womano and Jet Set. The web series started in May along with the debut of season 3 and follows some of the guys’ favorite co-workers as the have some fun in the office.
In case you don’t already know these guys (which you should) I’ll catch you up.
Montez: The leader of “The Other Cubicle”. Very energetic, takes his job seriously, and outgoing. He’ll confront you if you mess up, but he’s not “that guy” in the office that no one likes. He’s a good friend of Anders, Adam and Blake.
Waymond: The quiet one…literally. He never talks. But he’s still hilarious. He’s constantly bullied, but still loved by everyone. Korean with a little attitude. “Everybody loves Waymond” – Adam
Jet Set: Why this guy is working at Telamericorp I have no idea. The only black guy in the office and he knows how to have some fun on the job. He’s bossy but has a great sense of humor.
The mini-series is currently 6 episodes in and we have seen the guys fight each other, prank each other, and do some other hilarious things that you wouldn’t be surprised by with working at Telamericorp. I mean let’s be real…could you work with Adam, Ders, and Blake and not have that sense of humor? You have to be able to keep up.
My favorite episode so far was the third released, actually on my birthday, called “Nap Time”. You can watch it here. This episode beings with Jillian (the immature/lovable office secretary) walking into the guys’ cubicle and she finds them all asleep (during work). Waymond is actually wearing a CPAP because he has Sleep Apnea. Jillian wakes the guys up but they tell her that they need to take a nap to be a successful telemarketer. A few calls later, Jillian realizes she needs a nap too!
If you’re like me and just need a quick Workaholics fix but don’t have 22 minutes, check out “The Other Cubicle”.
Jillian: “I’m sorry, what the hell is on his face?”
Montez: “Way got sleep apnea. That’s his CPAP.”
Adam Can Sing?!
Photo Courtesy: pitchperfectmovie.com
First things first: Pitch Perfect Movie Trailer
Adam DeVine (or Demamp as you may know him) is the first of the Workaholics to make the big screen in a starring role. Adam starred as Bumper in the film Pitch Perfect that was released September 28, 2012. The movie is a musical comedy centered around a college girl and her all female a cappella group as they compete against their rivals, The Treble Makers, lead by Bumper. Meet Adam’s character and get a laugh here.
Adam’s character is the intense leader of the all male a cappella group who secretly likes a member of their rival group (“Fat Amy” played by Rebel Wilson). Although I have never seen the movie, after watching a few trailers and short clips I probably wouldn’t mind checking it out. Bumper’s personality, from what I’ve seen, actually resembles his character in Workaholics a good bit. He still has that sarcastic, in your face, and funny personality that he portrays in Workaholics in the movie.
Pitch Perfect Screenshot
Photo Courtesy: pinkisthenewblog.com
With the break in production for Workaholics from season 2 to 3, Adam was lucky enough to take this role in the movie. Hopefully the move to the big screen will become a big boost for the entire Workaholics casts’ family, leading to greater popularity and future ratings increase. The show is slowly gaining popularity so who knows…is syndication a possibility? I would probably guess no, but we can all dream. As we speak Workaholics has aired 30 episodes (10 per season) with 10 more on the way for season 4 due to air in early January 2013.
Adam isn’t the only Workaholic on the big screen either. Blake Anderson (Blake Henderson in the show) is also contributing on a film as well. His voice will be used for the character Dagda in 20th Century Fox’s new animated film Epic due out May 24, 2013. The voice-over casts also includes stars such as Beyonce Knowles, Colin Farrel, Jason Sudeikis, and Aziz Ansari to name a few. You can watch the trailer here.
Blake’s Accident
Some people may ask if the cast of Workaholics is as crazy in real-life as they are in the show, and that’s an easy answer…definitely yes.
At a house party in December 2011 Blake Anderson, still Blake in the show, jumped off their roof into a custom Comedy Central beer pong table during their house party and fractured his spine. You can see the video of his jump here.
He underwent surgery Dec. 22, less than a week after the incident in LA and he is still going to physical therapy in hopes of a full recovery. Blake admitted to MTV and TMZ that alcohol was the reason for the dumb decision. You can see both interviews below…
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Blake jump off a roof though. In the episode “Temp-tress” (Season 2, Episode 3) that aired Oct. 4, 2011, we saw Blake jump from the roof into their pool after Adam accidently set Blake’s hair ablaze instead of the books that they were burning. I’m sure this wasn’t the first time he’s made the jump either. Check out the screenshot from the episode.
I guess Blake was a little too excited by the show’s renewal for season 3 that he needed to celebrate in a big way. Season 3 aired in late may of 2012, putting production in early 2012, making Blake work, and go through physical therapy at the same time. With the season featuring some real stunts such as jumping bikes, digging, and heavy lifting I’m sure he went through some tough days on set.
Although Blake was injured and went through surgery, he stayed in good spirits. In his interview with MTV he jokes about how people call the jump an “accident”. He stated, “It’s weird when people call it an accident, because I kinda meant to do it.” Adam then cuts him off saying, “No you meant to, 100% meant to do that.”
Closing thoughts from Blake:
“Don’t jump off roofs into uhhh, hard surfaces.”
– Your PSA from the Workaholics
Workaholics 