Laurel and Hardy. Beavis and Butthead. And now, Michael and Michael—two men united in one lofty purpose: to make laughter (and to make it often). Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black are a pair of mirth-makers to be reckoned with, and their new meta-sketch comedy show, Michael and Michael Have Issues, will show you no mercy. “We sat down across from the Comedy Central executives, looked them square in the eye and said, ‘Trust us,’” recalls Showalter. “Nine months later, and we’ve got a show!”

The two have assaulted us with their off-center comic personae since the early ’90s, when their comedy troupe The State had a successful MTV series, book and sketch-comedy tour. In the years since, they’ve found great success both separately and as a team. Showalter cowrote, coproduced and starred in the cult comedy Wet Hot American Summer, under the direction of his writing partner David Wain, and wrote, directed and starred in the indie rom-com The Baxter in 2005. Black (who was also in those two films) appeared in Reno 911!: Miami, The Ten, Comedy Central’s Viva Variety, VH1’s I Love the… series and NBC’s Ed, in which he played Phil Stubbs for four years. Together they’ve won critical acclaim with Stella, their comedy trio act with Wain, which spawned a series, short fi lms and a six-year nightclub act at Manhattan’s Fez Under Time Café.

A combination of video shorts, sketches and behind-the-scenes drama, Michael and Michael Have Issues portrays the pair as dueling, infantile egomaniacs. “We really liked the idea of combining the storytelling strategies of our previous shows,” says Showalter. “Stella was specifi cally narrative, and The State was sketch.” Black adds: “We made a mash-up. It’s like what Timbaland does, only with comedy. And Jews.”

While they seem to delight most in humiliating themselves, no one is safe from their lampooning. “Animals are usually funny,” says Black, “but I don’t know if anything is ever always funny. Farts probably come the closest. A fart is God’s way of saying, ‘Don’t take yourself so seriously.’” (Do make a point of catching their “Farting Butterfly” sketch.) “I think real people are pretty funny,” says Showalter. “All you need to do is walk down the street or surf YouTube and you’ll fi nd a whole bunch of characters prime for comedic interpretation.”

All the while, the long-awaited DVD collection of The State has hit the stores. It’s marvelous timing (or perhaps marketing?) and the fellows are psyched. “Back then I didn’t expect we’d both still be alive, let alone writing another sketch show,” recalls Showalter. “When you’re that young, you don’t really project beyond your next gig. Now, would my younger self be disappointed that I’m still writing with this shmengi? Probably.”

“I thought I’d be doing The State for the rest of my life,” says Black. “The fact that I’m now able to do a sketch show with just one other guy instead of 10 is a huge relief. It’s nice to only have to fight with one other person.” Michael and Michael Have Issues, Wednesdays at 10:30 P.M. 

ABOVE: Michael Ian Black (LEFT) and Michael Showalter