Peacock’s latest original comedy, Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, is the dumb comedy we all need right now. With its comedy-troupe cast, an absurd quest for a plot, and a blend of physical comedy and clever jokes, this new offering might remind viewers of another critically-panned, audience-adored comedy: Hot Rod.
Two Troupes with Similar Origins
The young men of Please Don’t Destroy, a comedy troupe made up of Ben Marshall, Martin Herlihy, and John Higgins, three of the most recent additions to the writing staff and cast of Saturday Night Live, are on a similar path as the men of The Loney Island, Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer. Both groups formed before formally accepting positions with SNL, and both used the platform to kickstart careers in comedy, mostly through digital shorts.
The ultimate fate of the younger group remains to be seen, but all signs point to success. It’s got advantages The Lonely Island didn’t have, like the audience’s complete understanding of a Digital Short, now an SNL staple that began with The Lonely Island. Please Don’t Destroy has TikTok and Instagram on its side, unlike The Lonely Island, which only had YouTube at its disposal when it released “Lazy Sunday,” the group’s first of many Digital Shorts. Finally, two of the three members of Please Don’t Destroy are comedy nepo babies (Martin and John are the sons of SNL legends Tim Herlihy and Steve Higgins, respectively).
Such advantages are likely what made it possible for the Please Don’t Destroy gang to write and star in their own feature film, Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, so early in their careers. And it’s jarringly similar to Hot Rod, The Lonely Island’s first feature film as a trio.
‘The Treasure of Foggy Mountain’ vs. ‘Hot Rod’
Both films follow a misfit group of friends on a mission to reach their goal. The casts are comprised of the core troupe members (aside from Shaffer in Hot Rod – he directed the film and acted only in an uncredited role) along with other new comedy blood and surprising inclusions of industry stalwarts – Hot Rod was supported by Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Isla Fisher, Sissy Spacek, and Ian McShane, among others, while The Treasure of Foggy Mountain has Bowen Yang, Megan Stalter, Nichole Sakura, Conan O’Brien, and John Goodman. There’s amusing yet endearing romance, natural maturation threatening the fabric of the group, and unhealthy familial dynamics. And both are very funny.
The Lonely Island helped shape the current comedy landscape, and Hot Rod and Saturday Night Live were just the beginning of its work. Should Please Don’t Destroy continue on this similar trajectory, the future of comedy is just as bright as its past.
Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain is streaming now on Peacock.
