News, Reviews & Commentary on Gay and Bisexual Men in Entertainment and the Media

brian

by brian

Sneak Peek: Watch "The Cho Show" a week early. Like, now!

This is like a gift from the summer Friday gods! We've gotten a hold of the entire first episode of The Cho Show, the new Margaret Cho reality show premiering next week on VH1. (Having the same birth-parents has its benefits, even though Best Week Ever totally won't talk to us at family reunions.)

I've been leery of getting too excited about The Cho Show, because I adore Margaret (seen her five times) and was worried that a reality show wouldn't be able to capture her magic. But from the looks of the first episode, it's actually a great fit.

In the first ep, Margaret debates whether or not to accept a "Korean of the Year" award, and goes on a star-studded personal journey as she weighs her options. Of course, Margaret's parents, her gays, her hilarious (and little!) assistant, Selene, and her fellow Korean comics all weigh in, providing all the off-color humor and inappropriate fake accents that we've come to expect from Cho.

All I can say is, Kathy Griffin better watch her back. There's a new sheriff in town!

Check it all out (commercial-free, yo!) after the break!

  • brian's blog
  • Login or register to post comments
  • Dan McCallum's picture

    This sums it all up

    "I might not be a complete person yet but at the end of the day I am the korean of the f*cking year."
    Average (1 vote):
    see individual ratings
    brian's picture

    Or this gem:

    "I love having two men fight over me even though they'd rather have sex with each other."
    DemonDeac's picture

    Awesome

    This was so funny, I am definitely going to tune in for this...

    As much as I looove Kathy Griffin, I've a always gravitated more to Margaret Cho's comedy because of the whole minority thing. Eventhough she is Korean and I am hispanic, our communities have a lot of similar attitudes...

    Haha some of the one-liners (like the above) were absolutely hilarious...I think I am going to love this show!

    Average (1 vote):
    see individual ratings
    David Ehrenstein's picture

    Very sweet

    Love to see how this develops as Margaret takes on all manner of situations.
    Basil3000's picture

    Cho Power

    I love, love, love her!!! I have been a Margaret Cho fan for years. This episode completely explains why I love her so much; AND she is the Korean of the Millennium not just the year!

    Average (1 vote):
    see individual ratings
    Sibelius8591's picture

    NO ONE is more "American"...

    ...than Margaret Cho!

    I have felt for many, many years that no one exemplifies what it is to be a true American like Margaret Cho. She is the perfect example of what it means to be first generation "XYZ" - meaning parents from abroad, but growing up in the US.

    You don't let go of your heritage, but you assimilate to your surroundings creating the true 'melting pot'.

    I'm 'second generation' Italian - my grandparents were 'right off the boat' from Italy and yet I still 'get' Margaret Cho's humor behind the accents, the ideals, the customs, the conflict between old and new, the blending and compromise between family tradition and adaptation to the here and now...

    F*ck 'white supremecy'... Margaret Cho represents exactly what it means to be an American. Most of us were 'born here', but none of us are truely 'from here'. Margaret Cho is an underrated example of the true American girl.

    Ironically, even though she doesn't have a major TV sitcom, movie, etc... I think America (secretly) agrees. Otherwise, we'd all be saying, "Margaret who?"

    -Sibelius

    "It's curtains for you, Dr. Horrible. Lacy, wafting curtains..."

    Average (1 vote):
    see individual ratings
    karen's picture

    All American Girl

    Cho had a sitcom for about a year. I enjoyed it, but seeing her now I can't imagine her being on a sitcom. It would be too constricting. We love her because she says what she thinks and does what she wants. And watching reruns or clips of the show on youtube remind me how limiting tv can be.
    Sibelius8591's picture

    Don't Fence Me In...

    karen wrote:
    Cho had a sitcom for about a year. I enjoyed it, but seeing her now I can't imagine her being on a sitcom. It would be too constricting. We love her because she says what she thinks and does what she wants. And watching reruns or clips of the show on youtube remind me how limiting tv can be.

    Congratulations...  You just confirmed to the networks that Margaret Cho is not viable as a network 'star'. Thanks for thinking 'inside the box'... (even though you enjoyed her original show)...

     

    -Sibelius

    "It's curtains for you, Dr. Horrible. Lacy, wafting curtains..."

    karen's picture

    Network Star

    Its not that she is not viable as a star, but the constricting nature of network television would limit her so much. Her show "All American Girl" was funny when I was like 12 and didn't realize the **** she had to go through to get there. She almost died trying to lose weight for a show that was supposed to be about her real life. Who knows what the other actors and actresses had to do to keep their roles It basically portrayed her family in the most stereotypical fashion imaginable. Meanwhile, her character was viewed as "normal" and regularly rebelled against anything Asian. This of course supposedly made it more accessible to general audiences.

    Certainly, the show would be different now, but women and minorities are not given the same respect in television as men. In the network comedies today, women are portrayed as family oriented, business women, or involved in innocent love triangles. Meanwhile, men can be misogynistic, loud, lazy, rude, etc. and still have a highly praised show. I hated seeing Jim Belushi and Kevin James walk in with their huge bellies and see their teeny tiny little wives. Then on Desparate Housewives all the characters are raising familes and perfecting their meal plans. Where the hell is the Gabby's gardener? Why did he leave? The only thing out of the box for female characters was Bree's drinking problem. Was Rosanne a fluke? Women are so constricted on networks, it angers me beyond belief. Larger networks are so focused on ratings they don't take risks. They try to put everyone in a mold. This is why so many African American sitcoms were on UPN (CWnetwork). It was a smaller venue that kept these shows even when the ratings were not great. Chris Rock's show is there. Mo'Nique's show, "The Parkers", had a great run (but I still think Mo'Nique's stand up routine is way beyond anything the show could offer). The WB had the Wayan Brothers. I could go on, but I won't. Still UPN and WB haven't ventured out into other minority groups. Maybe Margaret could be a first, but I would miss her reality show and stand up.

    Stand-up is freedom. Free to say what you want and hang out with who you want. Likewise, cable offers more freedom than networks and can allow the audience to see the real people as they are.

    I don't even have cable, but I would rather see a dvd of Margaret being Margaret than a BS sitcom produced to make as much money as possible without offending the masses. Its not that I am thinking inside the box, I just don't want Margaret and other comics confined by the box.

    Okay, rant over.

    Bearotic's picture

    Margaret Cho Rocks!

    The Cho ShowThe Cho Show At Bearotic

    Margaret Cho is abso-flocking-lutely one of the best comics in the industry today. At Bearotic.com we did a posting on The Cho Show last week and can't wait for her series to go live.

    HOW COOL that After Elton has a sneak preview of the first episode like this!

    All we can say is, GO MARGARET, GO!! Kick ass and take names!!!

    __________________________________________________
    Bearotic.com - Entertainment for bears and the furry at heart.
    Average (1 vote):
    see individual ratings
    Hephaestion's picture

    There is a God!!!

    Just as we are losing Kathy Griffin's D-List Show... HARK!!  God hath opened the skies again and sent MARGARET CHO in to breathe life back into us!!!  Praise Jesus!

     This first episode was so funny!!!  I can not WAIT to see more!!!  Margaret is PERFECT for this kind of show.  Oh THANK YOU MARGARET for doing this show!!!  I believe it will be one for the Ages!!

    Hephaestion's picture

    Being a complete person

    When a parent tells you that you can not become a complete person without having a child, it can be devastating.  And I hope Margaret knows that a very strong argument can also be made that you can not be a complete person if you HAVE children. The truth is, there is no such thing as a complete person. And a great, valuable, and beautiful life can be had with or without children.  One size does not fit all.
    Melissa's picture

    The Cho Show

    This show brings VH1 to a low of all lows.  This woman is COMPELETLY Ridiculous !!!!  She has no talent and is in no way funny! What are they doing at VH1? Are they desperate for shows to air? Are they trying to push viewers away? I turn the channel for commericals of this loud mouth, waste of eveyone's time loser and I will for certain turn the channel during the show.  A waste of air time.  In no way entertainment.  Loud mouth, no talet loser, The CHO SHOW.  Please, Please, Please someone from VH1 read this and know that no one wants to hear her voice, which is like nails on a chalkboard, please take this no talent, not funny waste of time off the air and put on something that will entertain us on, not piss us off.  She sucks!!!!!!!!
    Average (1 vote):
    see individual ratings
    Melissa's picture

    The Cho Show

    THE CHO SHOW SUCKS!!!! I agree, she has no talent, not funny.  I don't want to see or hear this woman talk about her vagina or anything else.  Please take us out of the misery of the CHO SHOW!!!
    Average (1 vote):
    see individual ratings
    VioletFemme's picture

    WTF?

    Melissa wrote:
    THE CHO SHOW SUCKS!!!! I agree, she has no talent, not funny.  I don't want to see or hear this woman talk about her vagina or anything else.  Please take us out of the misery of the CHO SHOW!!!

       Did you just aggree to your own previous comment? WTF?

     If you don't like the show then don't watch it. No one's forcing you.

     

     If By Gay You Mean Totally Freaking Awesome, Then Yeah, I Guess It's Pretty Gay

    --Des Ark

     

     

    Humbug311's picture

    Darling Troll

    Melissa, dear, if you are going to come on to the AfterElton board to troll, you could at least do us the favor of trying to post a comment that is in some way witty or literate, rather than providing us with the insightful 6th grade (no offense to 6th graders) commentary that the show "SUCKS."  You surely must have had some idea of who Margaret Cho is before you watched the show, and certainly could not have thought that you were tuning in to the 700 Club.  Feel free not to devote any more of your time to watching the Cho Show. Perhaps many of the fine offerings on Fox or CBN would be more to your liking. 
    Liquid_Diamonds's picture

    Just Bad

    I was hoping to love this show, but I found myself longing for it to end. I am a huge fan of Margaret Cho's stand-up, but this just feels like a very bad version of My Life on the D-List.

    Oh Melissa honey, you can't just post 2 comments under the same name and expect no one to notice. Although I dislike The Cho Show, Margaret Cho is one of the most groundbreaking comedians of the last two decades.

     


    User login

    After Elton home page on logo online