Stephen Colbert is going to have to button up a bit more when he takes over for David Letterman in 2015, but until then the man is going to have as much fun as possible on The Colbert Report. He proved his willingness for all things wacky once again on Wednesday when he had Kevin Spacey on his show. But Kevin Spacey didn’t appear as himself. Instead, he appeared as his Netflix alterego, Frank Underwood. Check it out, below.
When introducing Underwood, Colbert sagely states, “God, how I wish Frank Underwood were president. But that can’t happen because House of Cards is just a TV show. “ Immediately Underwood pops up onstage in a dapper suit, responding in kind, “But Stephen, I hate to inform you that this is also just a TV show.” The two begin rolling with the idea that Underwood is a truly influential political figure, sparring verbally about Underwood’s experience with The Colbert Report, as well as what Colbert plans to do after his tenure on the show is over this December. Quite frankly, the whole sketch is far more refreshing than a lot of the Fallon-based games that have been blowing up on the internet recently.
Some key points include Colbert asking Frank Underwood if he watches his hit Comedy Central series. Underwood obviously responds with a joke, stating that The Colbert Report is well-known in political circles.
“The Colbert Report is tremendously influential. It’s like a Meet the Press that people actually watch. “
The two continue to banter about Underwood’s familiarity with the comedic series when Underwood makes what is probably the best Netflix-related joke I’ve heard this far.
“I’m waiting for the whole series to be over and then I am going to binge watch from episode 1.”
Frank Underwood has kind of been a phenomenon for Netflix. The House of Cards character is well-known for his base cruelty and careful southern drawl. Jimmy Fallon has a parody of the character, and Netflix has stated House of Cards is its most-watched original series. The show’s advertising and breaking of the fourth wall has made it stand apart from the pack, and even when House of Cards suffered an Emmy loss, the show’s marketing team handled the aftermath perfectly. It’s great to see Spacey in character sparring with Colbert in character, and I’m just a little bit sad that these sort of crazy shenanigans will have to go when The Colbert Report stops airing at the end of the year.
You can catch new episodes of The Colbert Report weeknights on Comedy Central.
