The Cho Show

R4 DVD

Beyond Home Entertainment

Margaret Cho is a one off, it is clear to me that when they made her they “broke the mould”. She is a unique comedian who confronts, amuses and shocks in equal amounts. For many she is an acquired taste since she is brutally honest about herself, her sexuality and the world around her. She explores her own experience as a Korean, as a woman and as a bi-sexual with blistering humour which at times would even made a “working girl” blush. At the same time she doesn’t really sound dirty, sure she talks about sex, a lot, but it is with a level of self deprecating humour that it can hardly be considered offensive.

Margaret Cho was born in 1968 and raised in San Francisco. "It was different than any other place on Earth," she says. "I grew up and went to grammar school on Haight Street during the '70s. There were old hippies, ex-druggies, burnouts from the '60s, drag queens, and Chinese people. To say it was a melting pot - that's the least of it. It was a really confusing, enlightening, wonderful time."

She began stand up comedy at a young age and won a comedy context where the first prize was opening for Jerry Seinfeld. She moved to L.A. and starred in the ABC sitcom “All American Girl”. She found the experience exasperating as she was expected to play a role, that of “ethnic Korean” rather than being herself. She was forced to lose a large amount of weight, which damaged her health, and play a role which was stereotyped, to say the least. It flopped big time and was cancelled.

She decided from that time onwards her comedy would reflect her own experience of life without compromise or fulfilling the expectations of others. It was a big risk considering the nature of the material she presented.

Her first major show “I’m the One That I Want” was a rip-roaring success celebrating her brutally honest type of humour which explores everything from self image to women’s issues, sex to gay rights, politics to her Korean parents. This was followed by “Notorious C.H.O.,” “Revolution” and “State of Emergency” – the last exploring her emerging political activism and disgust with the growing influence of the far right in the American political landscape.

In 2007 she developed new show called Beautiful which explores issues relating to self image and inner beauty, it is an extremely personal and powerful performance matching humour with a deep perception about the human condition.

“I want to explore the nature of beauty. What is funny and scary about it, why we often don't feel beautiful because our society's standards are so rigid and unattainable. A DJ once asked me, "If you woke up tomorrow and you were beautiful, what would you do? If you were, blonde, blue-eyed, 5 foot 11, and weighed 100 pounds, what would you do?!?" Well, I probably wouldn't get up in that case, because I'd be too weak to stand. If that is his only idea of beauty then I feel really sorry for him. I want everyone to feel beautiful and I want to do it with laughter. Why not feel good about ourselves?”

Some thirteen years after her frustrating foray into television on All American Girl, Cho has returned to television but very much on her own terms. She now has her very own series, The Cho Show.

The Cho Show is a strange amalgam of reality television and comedy. It stars Margaret Cho with a support team of truly eccentric individuals including little person Selene Luna and a selection of her favourite gay men. It also stays her parents playing themselves – they add a remarkably sensitive touch to the series.

Along the way Margaret interviews a range of fascinating people in her own inimitable style, holds fashion shows, wins a Korean award and talks a lot about self respect, love, sex, relationships, politics and growing up as an Ethnic minority in the United States. Once again Cho displays a brutal honesty about herself and those around them but it is never exploitative. For example, her 3-foot 10-inch high friend Selena Luna comes across as a superbly funny and talented character whom Margaret clearly loves dearly, there is not a moment when you think that she is being used for cheap humour. She is part of the show and indeed empowered by it. In a way it is testament to Cho’s style that she can explore all sorts of issues with all of sorts of people and each one comes away better for it. It is a bit like her beauty pageant, in the end, they all win since their cannot be any losers in a real beauty pageant !

This is a superb series with every episode full of amusing and entertaining comedy, witty dialogue, unusual characters and situations. Cho has the ability to pick just the right situation to bring out the best in herself and others and this series is a real winner.

This review will appear in Volume 2 No.3 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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