In the first episode of James Gunn’s PG Porn – a web series “for people who love everything about porn…except the sex” – Nathan Fillion nails Aria Giovanni. Literally. In a contrived, makeshift set with an aesthetic and soundtrack reminiscent of the era of XXX where a thin Ron Jeremy hung his rising star, Fillion accidentally takes Giovanni out of commission with nail gun just as she was going down.
“Violent misogyny self-righteously disguised as humor” or not, the premiere episode of the series produced by Safran Digital didn’t turn me on because it was too much like the real thing. Porn does a great job of making fun of porn. When wooden acting and low-budget camp are already staples in an industry, you need more than wooden acting and low-budget camp to get a decent laugh.
And that’s why the second and third installments are so good.
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In his two-part send-up of Charlie Brown (called “Peanus“) and his portrayal of a mechanic who prefers cats over Sashay Grey, Gunn’s comedy goes beyond the realm of simple imitation. The subsequent episodes hit the satire note a little harder and incorporate actual wit into the absurd back and forth exchange of sexual metaphors. Gunn also borrows a good amount of content from a genre with which he’s much more familiar: horror.
Given that the series looks like it’s on the up and up (and with over 1.7 million views on that Aria Giovanni premiere) it’s no surprise Spike TV announced that it picked up an additional 11 episodes of PG Porn. Over the course of the next year, “one episode will launch each month on Spike.com, followed by exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the set as well as cast and crew interviews.” That cast will include the likes of Michael Rosenbaum, Sean Gunn, Craig Robinson, Jerry O’Connell, and Penn Jillette.
