The Tommy Wi-Show Season One DVD review

Tommy Wiseau may very well be one of the greatest things to ever happen to acting. After gaining notoriety for writing, producing, directing, and starring in the cult hit The Room, Wiseau cemented himself as someone legitimately worth giving a damn about in the film industry. Now, if you’ve seen The Room, you’ll understand exactly why that is. It’s Wiseau’s trademark brand of unorthodox acting that has earned him underground superstar status. Now that he's the star of The Tommy Wi-Show, a series of YouTube shorts where Wiseau does nothing but play video games badly and talk to an antagonistic alien, he's quickly becoming quite possibly one of the most brilliant people to come along in the history of internet TV. The first season of The Tommy Wi-Show has landed on DVD, and if you're a fan of the eclectic actor or just dig video game absurdity, you really need to check out The Tommy Wi-Show Season One.

Wiseau takes on the role of T.W., a dude who simply cannot catch a break. Whether he’s embarking on a fun fishing trip, getting a ridiculous haircut, eating a TV dinner, or preparing an “egg breakfast,” T.W. is constantly taken away from his daily activities due to his frequent abductions by a mysterious and aggressive alien, whose name is Alien … at least according to T.W. Alien is short on patience, and the moment T.W. is abducted into the video game pod, he barks out instructions and forces the protagonist to play a new game every time.

According to Alien, the reason for T.W.’s initial abduction is due to his status as the world’s most dominant video game master. Whether that’s true is debatable considering T.W.’s apparent gaming skills, or lack thereof. You see, it seems as though Wiseau (the actor, not T.W., the character) has never played a video game in his life. The first episode of The Tommy Wi-Show, for example, had our “hero” playing Mortal Kombat on the PlayStation 3. It was quite a sight to behold, mainly because T.W. kept spamming the same simple kick attack over and over until he finally defeated his AI rival.

Wiseau’s questionable gaming skills in every episode of The Tommy Wi-Show are certainly grounds for hearty chuckles and even laugh-out-loud moments, but it’s his persona that really shines and makes this web show truly special. While playing, T.W. constantly makes hilarious remarks in a lackadaisical manner. One such example includes sticking out his tongue after calling Sonia Blaze from Mortal Kombat a “little lesbian.” He also calls Kung Lao a Mexican on account of his hat … which looks nothing like something a traditional Mexican person would wear. Still, it’s these comments that make T.W. somewhat of a lovable oaf, and it’s completely impossible to take anything that he says offensively.

The Tommy Wi-Show Season One DVD collects all 10 episodes that aired on YouTube over the past year, and if you’re a fan of internet TV, Wiseau himself, video games, or offbeat humor, it goes without saying that this collection deserves a spot in your video library. Episodes aside, it’s the outstanding extras that really make this DVD worth its price of admission. The Tommy Wi-Show Season One comes packed with extras that are totally worth watching. Among them are some bonus videos that first appeared on YouTube as extensions of the main show. These offer yet another glimpse at Wisea's mad gaming skills, and they're about as entertaining as the full episodes themselves.

The DVD collection also boasts three special video messages from Wiseau, and it’s impossible not to chuckle when the cult star is wishing the “Denmark people” well or telling gamers to have fun but never hurt each other, all the while throwing peace signs like crazy. Then there are the bloopers (a full 16 minutes of 'em!), which are an absolute riot. It’s insane how Wiseau can maintain the same exact composure when he’s acting and when he’s legitimately making a mistake or forgetting a line. You might say that Wiseau just does a good job of staying in character, but honestly, the more I think about it, the more I believe Wiseau plays no specific character. He’s simply a quirky guy with an interesting accent and an odd sense of humor, and he’s always in what I like to call "the Wiseau state of mind."

The Tommy Wi-Show Season One is an incredible collection of absurd awesomeness that fans of Wiseau should not miss. Even if you’ve seen all the shorts on YouTube, this collection is still totally worth the $20 price tag. There’s a lot of hilarious content included on the disc, and without spoiling anything, I’ll even say that there’s one special extra thrown in for good measure that's totally worth watching. I won’t say what it is, but suffice it to say that it is easily the most impressive bonus on the DVD.

The Tommy Wi-Show Season One isn’t just an interesting internet TV set; it’s one hell of a comical ride rife with quirky humor, questionable video game playing, and wonderfully offbeat acting. While this DVD won’t appeal to everyone, if you fancy yourself a fan of Wiseau’s work, weird comedy, internet TV, or video games, you owe it to yourself to add The Tommy Wi-Show Season One to your collection.

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