You never know what Bill Maher is going to do or say next. This show is structured as part political stand-up comedy, part round table talk show. This airs on HBO, so Bill has a little more freedom to be outrageous than he did in his previous show of the same type "Politically Incorrect" which ran on the networks.
The format is that Bill comes out and does some ripped from the headlines political stand-up, and then he usually introduces a single guest with whom he has a one-on-one chat. This guest is usually somebody with which Bill agrees politically, because the conversation almost always takes on the form of a conversation not an argument.
Then it is time to introduce his panel of guests. There are usually Democrats interspersed with Republicans - those who are brave enough to show up. The ensuing debate is very interesting and Bill Maher is well informed, able to combine comedy with information in a way that entertaining.
The fun is when Bill does something unexpected. One time he got talked into a corner about pharmaceuticals and basically said that the body has everything it needs to heal itself, that drugs and surgery are completely unnecessary. A guest tried to gently bring up the subject of infections that respond only to antibiotics, needed surgeries for burst appendices, etc. But Bill was not going to be talked down from that tree from which there was no dignified escape. Another time, Mary Matalin was a guest. She converted to Catholicism when she married and as a result wears a cross around her neck. I didn't even notice it until Bill Maher reached over and grabbed the cross and began stuffing it out of sight, as in under her blouse. Matalin remained more composed than I would! Personal space Bill! Personal space! I might add that Bill is a rabid atheist, but I thought that this crossed the line, no pun intended.
As I am writing this, Bill is currently really enjoying the 2016 election cycle because it gives him so much material. You see, apparently some time in the past Bill Maher called Donald Trump an orangutan and Trump sued him, even showing up in court with his birth certificate proving he was NOT an orangutan. Somebody wisely got Trump to drop this nonsense. So now that Trump is truly a public figure and cannot sue people for derogatory statements they make about him, Maher is really enjoying himself.
I'd say tune it in if you understand that Maher is going to erupt into anti-GOP atheist rants from time to time, but that the panel discussion is usually intellectually engaging. And Maher still has that comic touch after all of these years.
The format is that Bill comes out and does some ripped from the headlines political stand-up, and then he usually introduces a single guest with whom he has a one-on-one chat. This guest is usually somebody with which Bill agrees politically, because the conversation almost always takes on the form of a conversation not an argument.
Then it is time to introduce his panel of guests. There are usually Democrats interspersed with Republicans - those who are brave enough to show up. The ensuing debate is very interesting and Bill Maher is well informed, able to combine comedy with information in a way that entertaining.
The fun is when Bill does something unexpected. One time he got talked into a corner about pharmaceuticals and basically said that the body has everything it needs to heal itself, that drugs and surgery are completely unnecessary. A guest tried to gently bring up the subject of infections that respond only to antibiotics, needed surgeries for burst appendices, etc. But Bill was not going to be talked down from that tree from which there was no dignified escape. Another time, Mary Matalin was a guest. She converted to Catholicism when she married and as a result wears a cross around her neck. I didn't even notice it until Bill Maher reached over and grabbed the cross and began stuffing it out of sight, as in under her blouse. Matalin remained more composed than I would! Personal space Bill! Personal space! I might add that Bill is a rabid atheist, but I thought that this crossed the line, no pun intended.
As I am writing this, Bill is currently really enjoying the 2016 election cycle because it gives him so much material. You see, apparently some time in the past Bill Maher called Donald Trump an orangutan and Trump sued him, even showing up in court with his birth certificate proving he was NOT an orangutan. Somebody wisely got Trump to drop this nonsense. So now that Trump is truly a public figure and cannot sue people for derogatory statements they make about him, Maher is really enjoying himself.
I'd say tune it in if you understand that Maher is going to erupt into anti-GOP atheist rants from time to time, but that the panel discussion is usually intellectually engaging. And Maher still has that comic touch after all of these years.