Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson Watch an Alien Die in Super Bowl Totino’s Ad
Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson, the comedic geniuses behind Detroiters, a sitcom about an underdog advertising firm, have finally made it to the pinnacle of American commercialism: the Super Bowl.
Unsurprisingly, the boys showed up between plays at the big game to pitch Totino’s Pizza Rolls, a snack product that has had its share of viral Saturday Night Live parodies over the years. (Robinson was a writer and performer on the sketch show from 2012 to 2016.) The spot is literally a crushing sendup of the finale of Steven Spielberg‘s heart-tugging sci-fi blockbuster E.T., in which a group of humans says farewell to an alien visitor. Only this time, the ending isn’t so happy — due to a slight mechanical malfunction.
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Of course, while horrified at the fate of an adorable creature named “Chazmo,” Robinson and Richardson try to rationalize the gruesome incident to the traumatized children who witness it. “Unfortunately, that’s just a part of life,” Robinson explains as Richardson continues to munch on pizza rolls. The two men then reveal that they are less affected by Chazmo’s death because they didn’t really know him all that well.
As an advertisement-gone-wrong in the gonzo vein of Detroiters or Robinson’s smash Netflix hit I Think You Should Leave, which features Richardson as a frequent guest star, the Chazmo encounter certainly made an impression on viewers — even if it didn’t make anyone particularly hungry.
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