"The Comedian" stars Kumail Nanjiani in the title role, and also features strong supporting performances from Tracy Morgan and Jessica Williams as a rival comic. Coincidentally, one of Serling's most celebrated teleplays was also titled "The Comedian" and starred Mickey Rooney. In the 2019 version Kumail is a struggling comic. The episode begins with him doing a failed routine on gun control. The audience is more interested in their phones. Later that night Kumail meets a legendary comedian played by Morgan who encourages him to put himself out there more. Morgan takes a surprising turn as a sinister and enigmatic presence.
So Kumail begins to use people in his personal life for material. He performs routines about his dog going to the bathroom, his nephew's facility with social media, and past arguments with his girlfriend. Things get darker when he turns to social media for more material. These routines kill and suddenly his career takes off.
Of course this is The Twilight Zone and Kumail's new found fame comes at a high price. Much is written today of the state of comedy in the current political environment. Mainstream comedies tend to avoid politics in favor of bathroom humor and insult comedy. Even attempts at satire from stalwarts like Saturday Night Live and late night TV often come off as obsolete. "The Comedian" implicates zoned out audiences and on a superficial level comics that go for the lowest common denominator. Perhaps the script by Alex Rubens could've taken these themes a bit further. Still, the episode is well acted and moves along at a quick pace.
Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone will inevitably be compared to Black Mirror. I don't think his Twilight Zone will go as nihilistic as Black Mirror. After all, Serling's series had just as many optimistic endings as bleak ones, yet it's those shocking twists everyone remembers. Serling was always more cerebral, and I think Peele will take the series in that direction.
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