Rooster Teeth Aims Way Low in Exclusive 'Arizona Circle' Trailer
The "least ambitious crossover" in history premieres on September 19 on Rooster Teeth's FIRST.
by Eric FranciscoThe Kids in the Hall would be proud. The pilot to Arizona Circle, a sketch comedy collaboration between Austin-based Rooster Teeth and Los Angeles gaming outfit Funhaus, will premiere on September 19 on Rooster Teeth’s streaming service FIRST. And Inverse has the exclusive trailer.
While Rooster Teeth is underselling the pilot as the “least ambitious crossover” of all time, let me tell you: Having seen the pilot at RTX last month, it’s a bonafide riot. In 2018, I didn’t think a parody of Cops where a task force shuts down “cucks” carrying camcorders would be funny. Yet the twisted brains at Funhaus and Rooster Teeth proved me wrong, and I’m glad they did.
While Arizona Circle is aimed at today’s audience of young gamers and internet dwellers, the series feels delightfully old school in its structure and laser-focused commitment to every joke. This isn’t just a bunch of YouTubers screaming at the camera (although rest assured, there is a lot of screaming). You get the sense these guys grew up on endless reruns of Kids in the Hall and National Lampoon than they did watching Vine.
Also, to my surprise, Arizona Circle has a few big references to Gen-X pop culture that may require some brushing up. Besides Cops, there’s a great Silence of the Lambs spoof I felt didn’t get as many laughs from the audience as the other sketches. If you haven’t seen it, watch Silence of the Lambs, and for good measure the original Ghostbusters, before Arizona Circle drops online. (Seriously, their Ghostbusters parody had me in stitches.)
As of now Arizona Circle is only a pilot and has not been greenlit for series. But let’s hope it will be, based on the strength of what you’ll see on September 19.
Arizona Circle will premiere on September 19 on Rooster Teeth’s FIRST.