And Bravo, perhaps the most expertly branded cable channel of the moment, is a fantasia of high-end living, vanity, and narcissism. With shows such as “The Real Housewives’’ series and “The Rachel Zoe Project,’’ it’s grotesque and fascinating all at once.
IFC, formerly better known as the Independent Film Channel, has been working in the past year or two to expand its programming while refining its “thing.’’ The IFC “thing’’ is far, far away from Bravo’s worship of money and fashion trends, opting for an artsier, messier, absurdist perspective on life and an emphasis on independent thinking over mass appeal. This year the channel premiered a few offbeat original series to that effect, including the comedies “Onion News Network’’ and “Portlandia,’’ and it has rerun culty series such as “Arrested Development’’ and “The Larry Sanders Show.’’ Tonight, IFC is introducing a new pair of quirky unscripted half-hours to its lineup, “Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings’’ at 10 and “Young, Broke & Beautiful’’ at 11.
“Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings’’ is a lot of fun, as it follow a unique pair of hyphenates who are advertising gurus, comics, video makers, and musicians, among other things. Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal have known each other since first grade, and they have come to prominence with the help of YouTube, where their videos and ads have developed a huge viewership. Relaxed and always ready to find a laugh, they specialize in making kooky commercials for local businesses, with the help of local talent and resources. They get to know the owners, they study the potential consumers, and they keep the budgets low. They passionately avoid chain stores and big corporations, which, of course, is very IFC.
