Six Degrees: Mitch Rouse and David Pasquesi in ‘The Factory’

A couple of months ago, we mentioned that Mitch Rouse (Exit 57, Strangers with Candy) had a new show called The Factory that had just been picked up by Spike TV (David Pasquesi, a.k.a. “Stew, the Meat Man” is also in The Factory). Last night on TV Barn, I noticed the first review of the show:

This ain’t your older brother’s TV no more

“Factory” (9 p.m. CT Sunday, Spike TV). Honestly, I had zero expectations for this comedy, which features four slackers working in dead-end industrial jobs …

But as I moseyed through the episode, I found myself laughing harder and harder until I had to close the door to keep from disturbing others. The beauty of “Factory” is that it speaks in the minimalist lingo epitomized by those Budweiser “dude” ads, yet is so perfectly pitched and paced that after a while it becomes a real-life “Beavis and Butt-Head,” where half the entertainment value is just watching these guys talk like idiots.

. . .

Read the full review here

Ah, that’s encouraging! Today, I read this over at the Comedy Central Insider (internal links omitted):

Spike’s Factory: The Rocktern Report
June 26, 2008 AT 02:28PM

This week, Gonzalo and I, Reggie, your loyal guide through this blog post, attended Spike’s premiere screening of Factory. Initially expecting the story of a courageous female textile worker struggling to make ends meet in a man’s world, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that Factory is actually a very funny sitcom from the mind of Strangers With Candy co-creator Mitch Rouse.

. . .

Factory is about four men working at a local factory in Illinois. Amazingly, 95% of it is improvised in the vein of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I don’t even improvise that much in my regular conversations. The most unique part about Factory is its realistic portrayal of men. You get a real sense of what it’s like when four men get together. They talk about women, they fight, they talk about women some more. They do everything guys do, including talking about women. Did I mention they talk about women? As men, Gonzalo and I could really relate. I recommend checking out Factory when it premieres Sunday, June 29th at 10:00 pm on Spike TV. Or, you can watch the pilot online right now.

Read the rest of the CC Insider post here

The Factory debuts this Sunday on Spike TV (10:00 p.m.). If waiting that long to see it is simply unacceptable, you can watch the full episode here. For what it’s worth, I thought it was pretty funny. There was a very Strangers with Candy feel to a couple of the scenes with Mitch and Dave, although the shows really aren’t too similar. I’m eager to hear what you all think of it.

And, because you can never have too much, I’ve embedded a classic number starring Mitch Rouse, Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello from Exit 57 after the fold.

Dancing Muchachos