Wanda Sykes Brings the Funny Back to Saturday Night

AK Easton
As evidenced by the success of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, viewers clearly clamor for sassy commentary on politics, hot topics, and over-the-top personalities.

What woman could hold a candle to these comedic geniuses? Look no further than Wanda, Wanda Sykes.

On her weekly show on FOX, it appears that no topic is off limits. Sykes skewers everything from "Bad Moments in Black History Month" to MTV's "16 and Pregnant".

The show features a celebrity roundtable, comedic short videos, and the 'WandaRama" segment in which Sykes offers her views on anything and everything. Conversations with her cast members, Keith Robinson and the ever-delightful drag queen, Porsche, are also a highlight of the show.

And it looks like Hollywood heavyweights are starting to take notice of Sykes show, jumping in to back their comedic pal. A recent panel boasted the talented Ray Romano, the cleverly crotchety Colin Quinn, the always delightful Cheryl Hines and the hilariously quick-witted Chris Rock.

In that same episode, Sykes conducted an off-the-cuff one-on-one interview with British comedy pal Eddie Izzard.

That's a lot of star power on one show.

Sykes' ability to roll with the discussion and provide quippy comebacks is what makes the show more than just a monolithic exercise in her simply providing her opinion on current issues.

And, this woman is no slouch when it comes to work. In addition to being a regular on the sit-com "The New Adventures of Old Christine", Sykes has been in several feature films including "Evan Almighty" with Steve Carell. She's also headlined three HBO specials, authored the book "Yeah I Said It", and was a featured contributor on "Inside the NFL."

It seems that even Congress is on the Wanda bandwagon as Sykes entertained the press, and many of the very subjects of her snarky comedy, at the 2009 White House Correspondents' Association dinner. She was rounded praised for her performance in which she took shots at Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin, among others.

On a recent visit to the set to take in a taping of The Wanda Sykes Show, it was clear that Sykes is truly in her element and has found her calling. And it's a good thing for viewers. No longer do we have to wait for the occasion Comedy Central or HBO special, we can get our Wanda fix every week.

The Wanda Sykes Show airs at 11e/10c Saturday night on FOX.


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Published by AK Easton

Anne is an Emmy-award winning writer who has worked for Fox, ABC/Disney, and the ReelzChannel. You can contact Anne at write2easton@yahoo.com.  View profile

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