Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Key & Peele: Season Three Blu-ray Movie Review

Nooice!

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 19, 2014

They may not be the first name in comedy, but they have the last word. Key & Peele -- comprised of the dynamic Comedy Central duo of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele -- exploded onto the scene in January of 2012 and hasn't looked back since. Already one of the most hilariously diverse sketch programs of all time and frequently beating Saturday Night Live at its own game, the sketch artists continue to amaze audiences with a keen sense of humor, great acting, and a know-how when it comes to finding the humor in everything from politics to sports, from movies to music, from popular culture to current events. Season three may be more of the same, but in this case, that's a good thing. New sketches, new laughs, and new classic moments help shape season three into arguably the best season yet, a season that sees the show mature into one of the funniest things on television today, bar none.

The guys.

Indeed, the format isn't at all drastically different, but the content most certainly is. While there are some returning "characters" such as East-West football players, there's an unmistakable freshness to the skits and an amazing display of talent in almost every single one of them. Comedy, the subjective beast that it is, means that it's unlikely all audiences will find all sketches equally entertaining. No doubt some will be lauded, some will be hated, some will be ignored, some will walk away offended, but the net effect is hugely positive as the guys entertain with sketches on a variety of subjects, including broad topics like race and gangs to more focused entries like "butt slapping" in sports, breakdancing, classroom substitute teacher hijinks, pre-fight boxing press conferences, and even a send-up of Les Misérables. And that's just getting the season started.

Key & Peele takes a humorous, sometimes relevant, and sometimes completely off-the-wall look at pop culture, politics, human relationships, and world events. In that way, it's not so dissimilar from South Park, except here the focus is more narrow and the skits shorter. Also like South Park, there are two very talented individuals leading the charge, the difference in Key & Peele being that they lend more than their voices to their shenanigans. The guys are incredibly good at what they do. They don't just act as themselves but cover a broad range of styles. They sing, they dance, they throw their voices, they play dress-up (and even dress as women at times), and are uncannily capable of capturing the soulful essence of other lifestyles and cultures and attitudes with remarkable precision and efficiency. Every new sketch is an adventure, and audiences are treated to a regular variety that keeps the show novel and keeps Key and Peele always upping their game.

Season three is the dynamic duo's best outing yet. The material is tight, relevant, engaging, always funny, and oftentimes even meaningful below the surface. And sometimes it's just over-the-top humor for the sake of over-the-top humor. But it's that sense of the unexpected that keeps viewers coming back for more. Add that the program is consistently unique in terms of costumes, set decorations, scenarios, and the talents required to pull them all off -- verbal and physical alike, not to mention that keen wherewithal and deep understanding of other people and how the world works -- and it's easy to see why Key & Peele is arguably the best thing going on television's Comedy landscape today.

Key & Peele: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Key & Peele: Season Three sports a high end 1080p transfer. The 1.78:1-framed material, sourced from an HD shoot, provides crystal-clear imagery across the board, from sketch to sketch, no matter the visual circumstances. Fine detail is exemplary. Facial features are well defined and robust, even in extreme close-up shots. General image detail satisfies across backgrounds in a variety of locations -- a street, a classroom, a baseball locker room -- revealing every fine object texture with ease. Colors are nicely balanced and accurate. There's no end to the variety of shades visible throughout, with special note of the loud, exciting variety seen in the 90s breakdancing segment ("nooice!"). Black levels are satisfactorily deep and accurate, while flesh tones present no major cause for concern. Occasionally light banding and noise are scattered throughout but rarely deter from an overall gorgeous presentation.

Key & Peele: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Key & Peele: Season Three sports a well-balanced and clear Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music is frequently aggressive but sometime subtle, enjoying precision stage placement and accuracy regardless of energy level. In the studio, crowd applause is nicely immersive but lacks that realistic feeling of total immersion and natural presence. The track frequently employs good directional movement and location imaging with a healthy use of the surround speakers. Each sketch is as sonic unique as they are structurally and visually diverse. Sometimes they're sonically flat by requirement and sometimes they are much more lively. The track never fails to create a healthy environment for every one. General dialogue is strong and satisfying up the middle, and there are several good moments of increased spacing in a few sketches, such as heard during the "Black Republicans" sketch.

Key & Peele: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Key & Peele: Season Three contains a nice little collection of extras, including segments of The Van and Mike Show, a season one and two "super episode," and outtakes.

Disc One:

The Van and Mike Show (1080p): Internet Phenomenons Vandaveon Huggins and Mike Taylor offer up their own brand of insight into things, both concerning the Key and Peele show and other avenues of exploration. Included are Substitute Teacher 2 (3:26), The Valets -- Batmans (3:39), Slave Fight (3:23), Nooice (3:23), Orgy Party (3:07), Superman Bed (2:40), and Saw Parody (3:10).

Disc Two:

• The Super Episode: The Best of Seasons 1&2 (1080p, 21:36): Highlights from the first two seasons from a special piece leading up to the premiere of season three.
• Outtakes (1080p, 5:32).

Key & Peele: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Key & Peele fans will obviously love this season, and it's a great place to start for newcomers. The sketches are, subjectively speaking, hilarious in total with only a few scattered pieces that fall completely flat. The guys are so talented, and it's their multi-faceted performances and keen ability to portray nearly any character that makes the show so great, not to mention the strong writing, excellent production values for a show of this scope, and the contagious personalities of its hosts in front of their audiences. Key & Peele: Season Three's Blu-ray release is stellar. Great video, strong audio, and a few good supplements make this the must-own Comedy series of the year. Very highly recommended.