Review of Good Morning World

Good Morning World, launched in July of 2006, is an online mock morning show from Toronto improv comedians Pat Kelly and Peter Oldring. Known for working the Toronto comedy scene with The Pete and Pat Show, the duo has taken their off-kilter comedy to the Internet. Peter and Pat play Allister Coulter and Andy Peppers, the show’s silly, spastic co-hosts. Good Morning World was an official honoree in the 2007 Webby Awards.

Every morning, Allister and Andy greet the world with friendly, fake-tanned faces and sparkling, plastic smiles. This parody of wake-up talk shows is complete with oblivious, over-the-top hosts, a fake window background, cheesy theme music and segments about everything from International Hug Day, to blowing lines of orange zest, to staying healthy. Throughout, Kelly and Oldring brutally mock the banality of shows like Live with Regis and Kelly and The Today Show, overdoing the smiles and mundane banter. Three to five-minute episodes begin with the hosts examining the contents of their coffee cups. One day, Allister’s cup is filled with hot sauce and Andy’s with red snapper. Another, tar and marsupial milk. The bizarre segments and silly dialogue are reminiscent of something Kids In The Hall or Stella would’ve conceived if Viacom had given

them the 9AM time slot.   Every episode, from the site’s start in July of 2006, is archived by day for easy access, complete with a viewers’ top 10 episodes. The site also contains an ironic collection of links and a shop complete with Good Morning World pins, t-shirts and, of course, coffee mugs. The production of the videos, the dead-on scenery and visuals give, and the short bursts of playful, strange jokes make this serial comedy a great site to jump-start your day.

Mondays on Good Morning World means it’s the time for my favorite segment called Pepper’s Pumpers, in which Andy, decked out in red and yellow warm-ups, shows off his latest tip for getting fit. Particularly hypnotic is the episode in which Andy demonstrates his aerobic speed-skating exercise. It’s like watching a man with no bones. Also, check out the September 11^th episode. Allister and Andy feel the pressure of addressing and avoiding the memory of the day, and ask the question of why Google Earth can’t locate Osama Bin Laden.