Stella Thomas
This show beats all the others. One of the reasons it is underrated, is because the subjects can be appreciated only by a sophisticated audience of intellectuals. It strives to show differing points of views on trendy topics. Towards that end guests are invited from opposing spectrum. The objective is to find truth, to sift facts from fiction, clouded by emotions. Controversial topics of the day are hashed out in a humorous way. This makes the ideas which may be difficult to assimilate, palatable to the general public. This show, therefore, is besides being entertaining, educational. The show therefore has segments of humour, debate, interviews with prominent guests, and a personalised editorial by the host on controversial topics. I give 5 ***** for this show.
Mark
"To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Bill Maher. The humor is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics and international relations, most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer's head. There's also Bill's nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterization- his personal philosophy draws heavily from Narodnaya Volya literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these jokes, to realize that they're not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Bill Maher truly ARE idiots- of course, they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humor in Rick's existential catchphrase "New Rule," which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev's Russian epic Fathers and Sons. I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Bill Maher's genius wit unfolds itself on their television screens. What fools.. how I pity them."
That's what you sound like.