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Sketch comedy shows occupy a strange position on the TV comedy spectrum. They're already not as viewer-friendly as sitcoms, but they also skew to one of two troublesome poles: stultifyingly conventional (e.g., SNL at its worst) or bizarro cult favorites (e.g., Mr. Show). In short, it's exceedingly difficult for a sketch show to break out while still remaining funny.
And then there's Key & Peele.
Almost immediately upon its launch in early 2012, the Comedy Central series found a foothold online, where its incisiveness and high-gloss production style meant instant shareability. After two seasons and a heaping pile of classic sketches—required watching includes the "Liam Neesons" fans, the name-challenged substitute teacher, and the East-West College Bowl lineup announcements)—they'd racked up more than 250 million views on YouTube. We've been watching since the first episode, so when co-stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele dropped by at Comic-Con this summer, we jumped at the chance to sit down with them for a sneak peek at Season 3, which begins tomorrow. In case you were wondering: Yes, they're nerds. Even without the Ghostbusters shirt and nebula hat.
