In the premiere episode of Showtime’s debut late-night talk show, Desus & Mero, the comedians Daniel Baker, a.k.a. Desus Nice, and Joel Martinez, a.k.a. the Kid Mero, hang two huge decals of their faces on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s office walls. If they’re still hanging in the Capitol building—and I hope they are—a visitor to the 29-year-old congresswoman’s office will enter and exit flanked by the large, plastic faces of two handsome commentator-podcaster-comedians who, like the congresswoman, are Bronx natives. Desus and Mero also brought along sticky decals of rapper Cardi B and baseball player Derek Jeter to flesh out, as they might say, the specifics of the brand.

The brand is strong. It’s early to make pronouncements, but the premiere of Showtime’s Desus & Mero still feels like a breath of fresh air, even in the ever-more-crowded landscape of late-night comedy. Their fans are already legion: the pair’s Bodega Boys podcast, and their show on Viceland, amassed enough momentum that the two drew the attention of premium cabler Showtime. And now—in a playing field so dominated by white men that no fewer than three late-night comedian-hosts are named James—Desus and Mero have broken through.

Crucially, it’s not just an identity barrier that’s been broken here; it’s a format barrier, too. Desus & Mero feels appreciably different from other late-night shows, especially Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, its biggest competitor. For one thing, it’ll air weekly on Thursdays, making it into a show that says goodbye to the week’s news, instead of scrambling to stay ahead of it. And for another, it minimizes awkward talking-directly-to-the-camera segments, so endemic to late-night news shows, to the point of nonexistence.

The series parallels the appeal of podcasts and panel shows: Desus and Mero are speaking to each other about the news, and we the audience just happen to be overhearing their riffs. Showtime has expanded its horizons, too: in the premiere, the two act out a sketch parody of Green Book, complete with Mero wearing a wig in a broad imitation of Viggo Mortensen’s performance. (“I’m a walkin’, talkin’ calzone, hey hey!”) It’s intriguing to see this duo branch out of their tried-and-true conversational patter to try new forms in their Showtime debut; it suggests good things to come.

Ultimately, Desus & Mero will live or die on the strength of the hosts themselves—which is to say, it will come down to the brand, and more to the point, to the continued maintenance of that brand. Celebrity is an odd mixture of authenticity and consistency, and increased success has diluted any number of strong, local flavors.

So what is really refreshing about Desus & Mero is that the hosts appear adept at continuing the process of being themselves. Their choice of Ocasio-Cortez as their first guest reflects that; few politicians have maintained such an unvarnished, unmediated relationship with constituents and supporters as she has, despite the unprecedented, meteoric success she has enjoyed since her underdog primary victory. In our oversaturated social-media era, we are all ever more hyper-aware of the slightest trace of bullshit. In Desus & Mero, thankfully, there’s none to be found.

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