Whatever, Martha! sharp, funny and incredibly amusing

When someone asks me what my favorite show is, I usually say South Park, 30 Rock or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. While I do love those shows, there are a whole slew of other great shows, buried in the nether regions of deep cable, that I TiVo religiously but typically forget about when compiling a list of faves. FLN’s Whatever, Martha! definitely falls into that category.

Like a cynical version of Mystery Science Theater 3000 with a home and garden twist, Whatever, Martha! takes old episodes of Martha Stewart Living and revisits them with the domestic diva’s daughter Alexis Stewart and her friend Jennifer Koppelman Hutt. The ladies give hilarious commentary over vintage moments from the show and even attempt to follow along with some of Martha’s classic do-it-yourself and crafting projects. The results are usually disastrous, but hysterical.

In one episode, Hutt makes off-color remarks about a segment in which a male personal trainer teaches Martha about some Yoga stretches as Alexis cringes and jokes, “I’m going to throw up!” In another, Martha joins the ladies and joyfully tells a story about slaughtering Alexis’ pet lamb and then serving lamb chops as Hutt looks on in mild horror. The smart-ass commentary and humorous insight into growing up in the Stewart household are genuinely funny and amusing, making it easy to get hooked on the show.

Whatever, Martha! is brilliant because it  represents a whole new view of home and garden TV. Rather than showing us 50 new ways to roll napkins and other arguably useless household tasks, it skewers the entire genre and humorously points out how ridiculous it is that we care about rules like where to place a salad fork when setting a table.

While it may not immediately pop into my head when compiling a list of favorite shows, Whatever, Martha! is sharp, funny and incredibly amusing.