Killing It is a new comedy series from two of the minds behind Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Luke Del Tredici and Dan Goor. Starring veteran comedy star Craig Robinson, this outlandish series follows one man’s pursuit of the American dream – to gain fortune and fame in any way possible, no matter what he needs to do or who he needs to meet to get there.
Craig (Robinson) is self-titled in character name, but not necessarily in situation as a blue-collar bank security guard who dreams of being something more. An entrepreneur at heart, but not practice, Craig decides to unashamedly and unabashedly pursue his very specific dream, a rare berry farm in the Miami swamplands. Craig’s initial attempt to get a loan for $20,000 from the bank he works at is thwarted by a mistimed robbery, a robbery Craig probably should have stopped had he been guarding the bank instead of asking the bank for money.
However, Craig recognises the shoes of one of the criminals robbing the bank. The shoe belonging his scheming cousin, Isaiah (Rell Battle) who used information unknowingly given to him by Craig to time the robbery perfectly. Now jobless and still strongly desiring to start his business, Craig forces Isaiah to put him in touch with a potential, a most probably shady, investor.
It’s while Ubering to the investor’s designated meeting spot, that Craig meets Jillian (Claudia O’Doherty), an energetic and talkative driver (who doubles her rideshare car as a travelling billboard) who also has an interesting side hustle going… python hunting for the Florida government. Travelling in her car with a hammer at the ready, Jillian shocks Craig when she disrupts their journey to dive into the long grass on the side of the road and bludgeon a snake to death. With Craig’s chances of meeting the investor ruined and the only way home being through Jillian, he accompanies her to drop the snake off for payment, only to discover that the Second Annual Snake Hunting competition begins tomorrow, and the grand prize… is $20,000.
Killing It is one of those 30-minute comedy shows that packs so much absurdity and humour in to such a short time, that it feels like a genuinely entertaining wild ride. The premise alone feels so out of left field and the rapid-fire jokes and comedic bits make this show a fast paced, easily bingeable series. While the central narrative focuses on Craig and Jillian teaming up to win this Snake Hunting competition, the exploration of themes like the American dream and entrepreneurship leads the two main character into some hilarious situations in some random places, and has them interacting with an array of surreal characters.
Craig Robinson is the fun-loving, foul-mouthed comedian that he has solidified himself as over his career in Killing It, while also balancing a healthy level of drama during his passionate pursuit of his business and juggling being a father to his daughter and dealing with the aftermath of his divorce. Arguably the only truly grounded character in the show, Craig really allows the audience to experience the insanity of the Floridian wild through his lens. Alongside him, Jillian is the show’s heart and energy. Her relentlessness may come off as annoying to some, but her Australian ticker and non-stop barrage of jokes lets O’Doherty shine comedically.
Killing It showcases a huge variety of great comedic performances that are sprinkled throughout the show, featuring Scott MacArthur as Brock, a fellow snake hunter who is attempting to becoming the world’s first snake hunting social media influencers (or has he describes it, an MTI – mid-tier influnencer), Rell Battle as Isaiah as the constant thorn in Craig’s side, and the standout being Tim Heidecker as a brash and suspect billionaire entrepreneur who is introduced in an episode set during his ’self-growth’ convention (one of the funniest episodes of the series so far). The supporting cast is used well and gives the show a decent amount of variety in humour throughout.
The overall story of Killing It is nothing deep or special, it’s an absurd comedy that has great physical humour and rapid-fire jokes, and an entertaining cast that makes it an enjoyable and easy binge-watch. You can watch the full first season of Killing It, exclusively on Stan from April 15.
