Troy, MI -- With undisputed sitcom champion Seinfeld out of the picture, NBC's Emmy Award-winning Frasier is the leading contender for television's comedy crown, but dark horse challenger Jack Van Impe Presents, starring the show's namesake and his wife, Rexella, has emerged as a surprisingly strong foe.
The weekly half-hour satire is the brainchild of J.V.I. Ministries International. The independent production company is credited with pioneering the genre of "religious journalism infomercial comedy" and attracting a loyal cult following despite an irregular broadcast schedule and a lack of major network support.
Van Impe attributes his success to the show's unique deadpan approach to religious humour. "We don't have a studio audience or a tacky laugh track, so a lot of our viewers think it's a straight-up news program that analyzes and evaluates world events in the light of biblical prophecy," he laughs. "But most people get the joke."
On the show, Van Impe and his wife appear as co-anchors seated at a newsdesk in a spartan studio. Rexella begins by reading a pre-selected and edited news report, and when the camera cuts to Van Impe, he explains how the event is a sign of the coming end of the world, as predicted in the Bible. Then it's back to Rexella for a brief comment and another news report.
But they aren't merely content with the hilarious news reports and interpretation. The Van Impes are master performers who add the presentation and theatrics that really make the show a special treat.
Van Impe calls his on-screen persona "an evangelist action figure," complete with kabuki-thick facial make-up and a plastic hair-simulant prosthesis. The parody includes grandiose body language: sweeping hand and arm gestures, swaying head and torso, and perpetually bouncing eyebrows. His trademark staccato delivery style brings it all together.
"Perfecting the speech was the hardest part," he says. "I used to rehearse for hours to get it just right, but now it's natural. Scary, huh?" The breakthrough came when he began to avoid using commas or periods and instead punctuated his lines with snippets of Bible. "It's a great source for satire. In or out of context, it's easy to prove pretty much anything."
On an upcoming episode, Van Impe plans to "reveal" that Furby, the artificially-intelligent furry toy that was an immensely popular gift this season, is actually the Beast foretold in the Book of Revelation.
"Chapter 13," he says, smoothly shifting to his on-screen voice. "Every Furby is unique: verse 4, Who is like unto the beast? The toys speak Furbish, an ungodly language: verse 5, And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. Even good children succumb to his power: verse 7, And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them."
The script calls for Rexella to close the segment by moaning, "Ooh, my. Mmm, Jack. How exciting that Armageddon is so near."
Fans of the show say Rexella, with her porn star screen name and looks to match, is the perfect foil for Van Impe's bombastic machismo. Her voice often becomes a breathless whisper to dramatize her lines, and her barely masked arousal fills every "Ooh" and "Mmm" with genuine emotion.
In the middle of each episode, Rexella introduces the infomercial segment -- a fake product advertisement, usually for a prophecy movie with a title like Apocalypse I: Caught in the Eye of the Storm, Apocalypse II: Revelation and the new Furby: Apocalypse Now.
The side-splitting ad is always a highlight, but the entire show is a masterpiece of sophisticated satire. In time, it will undoubtedly grow beyond its cult fanbase and become a true hit. Jack Van Impe Presents is the funniest show on television.
