Tom Segura is one of the funniest comedians of his generation. His comedy style is both topical and personal; the relatability of his material making him one of the most popular comics working today. Most importantly, Sugura is very, very, funny; which makes the complete failure of his 6-episode Netflix series, Bad Thoughts, so utterly painful. 

A supposed comical take on shows like The Twilight Zone and Netflix’s own Black Mirror, Bad Thoughts is a putrid series of sketch comedy vignettes suited more for a 12 year old. Segura takes on a few serious social issues, but does so in such a childish way that it makes the movies of Rob Schneider seem like Woody Allen. There’s nothing wrong with shock humor (and this show is filled with it), but there has always been a fine line between smartly designed gross-out silliness and being disgusting just to turn people off. 

It seems a bit strange for Netflix to greenlight such a series. Most of the sketches are designed for no other reason than to shock, while the humor seems to come second. The show’s first sketch is a long “gag” where Segura’s character shits his pants. The accident keeps getting referenced over and over until Sugura takes off his clothes to reveal the aftermath. The sketch continues on. Isn’t that hilarious? No.

Other sketches include Segura playing a character who keeps repeating that he had a good night’s sleep because he “slept like a homo.” As people try to tell him that is not the acceptable phrase, the sketch goes on and on until everyone takes up the saying, removing the stigma of the word. See? Segura is saying something deep about the viciousness of certain words. Isn’t that a smart comedic take? No.

How about the bit (a running gag no less) that focuses on a virtual-reality game titled “Aliens Fuck Humans”, where the title says it all? Surely there is some good fun to be had in skewering the video game-obsessed culture of today, right? No.

There is a segment where Robert Iler (young Anthony Soprano on HBO’s classic drama) plays a kid who is forced to have sex with a virtual reality version of his dad. The intricacies of this sketch are preposterous and the moment goes on far too long. This one lowers the already sinking levels of the show to pure trash.

Mind you, this critic is no prude. Todd Solondz made me laugh (a lot!) at his desperate pedophile (played by Dylan Baker) in 1995’s Happiness. That film had a much different tone and we weren’t laughing at the character (who was a monster) but in the absurdist manner in which he was designed and through Baker’s deft performance. For Segura’s sketch, he is just saying, “Isn’t it hilarious that this kid is forced to do that with a version of his dad?” No. 

There are a few oh-so-short moments where Segura’s wit comes through. Most of these are found in the moments where he introduces the segments, a la Rod Serling. The man can be sharp and anyone who has seen his standup knows his comedy is self-aware and often pointed. None of Segura’s unique talents are on display here. 

Can scatalogical humor be funny? Usually not, as cinema is littered with wrong-headed fart and crap jokes over the decades. The rare moment a scene like that works (Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles) is dwarfed by hundreds of others (Dumb and Dumber, Damian Chazelle’s Babylon) that do not. 

It is obvious that Segura is out to provoke and Netflix (who produced most of his comedy specials) is all in. That is the kind of comedian he has chosen to be and it works well for his smart and transgressive sense of humor. Segura is a smart and skillful humorist that wants his audience to laugh at the absurdities of life; the type of comedian who uses serious subjects to reflect the hypocrisies of our world. All of these commendable traits can be found in his standup specials, his talk show appearances, and on his podcast. In Bad Thoughts, the comedian seems to be doing nothing more than pushing buttons. There is no social insight to what is happening here, only a series of painfully unfunny poop and sex jokes disguised as bits that have something deeper to say. They don’t.

Joseph Heller, Peter Sellers, and Monty Python were all brilliant at absurdist humor. Tom Segura is not. Bad Thoughts is absolute garbage.

I still look forward to his next standup. THIS is where Segura excels.

Bad Thoughts

Series Creator Tom Segura

Starring Tom Segura, Robert Igler, Arturo Castro Dan Stevens, Malin Barr, Camille Chin, Arnold Chun

TV-MA, Netflix, YMH Studios