My Review of "Jo Koy: In His Element"

Jo Koy: In His Element is not totally a Jo Koy stand up special. It's actually more of a variety show than his how show. Think of it sort of like Dave Chappelle's Black Party where Jo Koy is the personality that keeps the show going on but he is really trying to highlight other talent. It's a pretty commendable thing that he did here because he's profiling people that he believes deserves a shot in the limelight.He is basically using his own fame to help others out.

This starts off with Jo Koy explaining his past and what he finds were important to his development as a comedian. His Filipino culture is the most important part of his identity so he decided to bring his special all the way to the Philippines for the first time.

He talks about how he was once a dancer but grew out of it for various reasons. His story is hilarious and has impeccable timing with his delivery. He then highlights a bboy by the name of Ronnie that he had grown up with for 20 years. Break-dancing and hip hop dance has grown in Filipino culture and he shows the growth of the art in the Philippines.

I had a bit of an issue with this profile although I know Jo Koy had good intentions when he did this. It's understandable that bboying is highly regarded around the world and it continues to grow in the Philippines however some may misconstrue that bboying started in the Philippines. Bboying is an art that originated from the US by young black Americans. I understand that it is part of the identity that developed Jo Koy but the way it was presented could be misunderstood by people that don't know the history of hip hop.

A lot of the things that influenced Jo Koy is influenced by Hip Hop which is really black culture but it's kind of passed off as Filipino culture. I understand what he's trying to get at but can be misunderstood. The timing of the release of this show with the peaceful protests that are going around the world may bring about a ton of questions. What Jo Koy is basically saying is that it has had a significant influence on him but someone should have reviewed this show before they aired it. Perhaps I may be over analyzing the situation though.

Later on there are a few young Filipino comedians that come in to do sets. They're funny and you can tell that they're still working on their act but who knows they might be pretty big later on. I love the fact that Jo Koy has used his huge platform to help fellow Filipino comics a chance to be in the limelight. This special will probably encourage other Filipino artists to develop their art.

A lot of the show is to highlight Filipino culture. Jo Koy shows us how proud Filipino people are and they are not ashamed to show their Filipino pride. He had grown up where there were no Filipinos at all and ended up doing a special full of Filipinos.

This special does feel very personal to Jo Koy and that's a huge draw to this show. It's a way we can dive deeper into his personality and where he's from. We get more of an understanding of what he's all about and learn new things about him. For the most part I thought it was done nicely but I felt there were a few missteps.

Overall, I did enjoy this show. It really does feel like a comedy variety show but that's not bad. It's a very short show at only 1 hour so it's easy to digest. I have to give this special a 7 out of 10. It was fun for the first time but I don't know if I could go back and watch this over and over again.