Comedy Central
For a brief period from April 4 to May 23, 2001, Comedy Central aired a satirical sitcom called “That’s My Bush!” that parodied the presidency of George W. Bush. The show’s concept was as expansive as could be, with George W. Bush, played by Timothy Bottoms, portrayed not as a president, but as a character in a conventional workplace sitcom from the 1980s. The artificiality of the show was enhanced by a raucous laugh track and vivid TV lighting. Kurt Fuller played the role of the stern Karl Rove, while Laura Bush was played by Carrie Quinn Dolin.
While “That’s My Bush!” certainly satirized the Bush administration, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker (best known for “South Park”) also used the show as a platform to spoof the all-American sitcom. The backdrop of the White House was used to mock outdated sitcom cliches that were deeply ingrained in the minds of the Gen-Xers. The show tackled modern political issues such as the death penalty and abortion, but its true highlight was its stylized, satirical artificiality.
“That’s My Bush!” also utilized a variety of quirky sitcom characters. The cast included a messy neighbor named Larry (John D’Aquino), a scatterbrained secretary named Princess (Kristen Miller), and a beleaguered maid named Maggie (voiced by Marcia Wallace, famous for “The Simpsons”). George W. Bush’s character was given the catchphrase, “One of these days, Laura, I’m gonna punch you in the face!” This line, delivered with theatrical flair by Bottoms, was always met with chanting and applause from the “live studio audience”. The catchphrase was a parody of Jackie Gleason’s joke from “The Honeymooners” where he would declare “One of these days, Pow! Right in the kisser!” Or “Pow! Straight to the moon!”
The Choice between That’s My Bush! and Everybody Loves Al!
Comedy Central
Matt Stone and Trey Parker are known for their politically nihilistic approach, mocking anyone and everyone without bias. Although they perceived George W. Bush as a bumbling fool, they didn’t harbor any affection for Al Gore, his Democratic opponent in the contentious 2000 presidential election. As revealed in the DVD commentary for “That’s My Bush!”, Parker and Stone had been developing two sitcom ideas concurrently, one for Bush and one for Gore. The plan was to start production on whichever candidate won the election.
Parker was fairly confident that Gore would win the election (95% certain, to be exact) and had envisioned a show titled “Everybody Loves Al!” The stock characters would have been the same regardless of the election outcome. The elongated recount process of the 2000 election resulted in the production of either “That’s My Bush!” or “Everybody Loves Al!” being delayed by a month. While Bush lost the popular vote, he won the Electoral College, resulting in a scandal that still resonates today. Since then, Republicans have only won the popular vote twice, in 2004 and 2024.
As per their contract with Comedy Central, Stone and Parker were rumored to be working on a sitcom titled “Family First,” though it’s unclear if this title was ever intended for use. In another DVD commentary, Parker describes their writing process. They had a two-sided dry-erase board, one side listing controversial political topics, and the other featuring plots borrowed from “Three’s Company” episodes. The two sides would then be combined to create absurd stories from serious topics.
The strategy was largely successful.
The Reception of That’s My Bush!
Comedy Central
Timothy Bottoms gave an outstanding performance as George W. Bush, perfectly imitating his clueless facial expressions and folksy accent. Bottoms, Stone, and Parker also gave the W character a distinct personality, even bestowing upon him some liberal values. Their satire was spot-on, unabashedly ridiculing the “wholesome” shows that a generation grew up with. However, the subversion of American sitcoms was not a new concept by 2001; shows like “Married… with Children,” “The Simpsons,” and “Seinfeld” had already paved that path over a decade earlier.
As expected, “That’s My Bush!” was delightfully crude. The abortion-themed episode introduced audiences to a puppet character named Felix the Fetus. The odd fetus puppet was created by the Chiodo Brothers, the creative minds behind the monsters in “Killer Klowns from Outer Space,” “Critters,” and “Ernest Scared Stupid.” It was far from subtle.
“That’s My Bush!” received generally positive reviews and garnered a lot of attention for its unique premise. However, according to Parker, the show was ultimately canceled because it was too expensive. The ambitious ideas of Parker and Stone resulted in a production cost of a staggering $1 million per episode.
This may have been a blessing in disguise; just four months after “That’s My Bush!” was taken off the air, the World Trade Center buildings were destroyed. It would have been difficult to continue portraying Bush as a “lovable doofus” in the face of national tragedy. In 2004, Stone and Parker went on to satirize the post-9/11 patriotism of the George W. Bush administration with the film “Team America: World Police,” a movie about hyper-nationalistic military defenders… portrayed by puppets.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
