For-Profit Online University

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For-Profit Online University
For-Profit Online University intertitle.jpg
Genre <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Written by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Teleplay by
    • Sam West
<templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Story by
    • Wild Aggressive Dog
Directed by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Sam West
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Nicole Byer
  • Nelson Cheng
  • Nick Corirossi
  • Geoff Haggerty
  • Brian Huskey
  • Ingrid Tejada
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Executive producer(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Wild Aggressive Dog
  • Becca Kinskey
  • Jonathan Stern
  • Mike Lazzo
  • Keith Crofford
Producer(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Becca Kinskey
  • Jonathan Stern
Cinematography Kevin Atkinson
Running time 11 minutes
Production company(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Distributor Williams Street
Release
Original network Adult Swim
Picture format 1080i (16:9 HDTV)
Audio format Stereo
Original release December 17, 2013 (2013-12-17)
External links
Website

For-Profit Online University is a television special written and directed by Sam West for Adult Swim. The special is presented as an infomercial parodying for-profit universities. The special is co-written by Wild Aggressive Dog, a conglomerate of former Onion writers, consisting of Geoff Haggerty, Dan Klein, Matthew Klinman, Michael Pielocik, Chris Sartinsky and Sam West.

The special aired on December 17, 2013 at 4 a.m. on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. The special was viewed by 871,000 viewers and received a 0.6 rating in the 18–49 demographic Nielsen household rating.

Synopsis

The infomercial consists of various students giving testimonies of their success, owing it to the school, literally named For-Profit Online University. Students pay for knowledge instead of attending traditional classes, and are offered jobs as 'Digital Gardeners,' solving CATPCHA for digital currency. The later half of the special introduces the threat of an evil rogue spambot named Howard, who was bribed with a large sum of ThoughtCoins, a digital currency used through the school, in an attempt to placate him.

Cast

  • Nicole Byer as "22MuchBIZ"
  • Nelson Cheng as "LetsFunHans"
  • Nick Corirossi as "FPOU_DEAN"
  • Geoff Haggerty as "USAdude1981"
  • Brian Huskey as "FPOU_PROF_300954"
  • Ingrid Tejada as "sALTedAngel69"

Production

The special presents itself as a spoof of for-profit universities infomercials, a source of frequent criticism and congressional investigation in the United States.[1]:2[2] The special is written and directed by Sam West, and is co-written by the creative writing team Wild Aggressive Dog, a conglomerate of former Onion writers, consisting of Geoff Haggerty, Dan Klein, Matthew Klinman, Michael Pielocik, Chris Sartinsky and Sam West.[3]

Reception

File:University of Phoenix.jpg
Gaby Dunn of The Daily Dot compared the fictional college to the University of Phoenix (Online campus pictured).

For-Profit Online University aired on December 17, 2013, at 4 a.m. on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. The special was published onto Adult Swim's YouTube channel the same day.[4] Initially made private on their channel, the special became viral online after being spotted by comedy blogs.[5] The special was viewed by 871,000 viewers and received a 0.6 rating in the 18–49 demographic Nielsen household rating.[6]

Dan Simmons of the Wisconsin State Journal praised the special as "hilariously" parodying "what some in academia fear is a growing movement toward commodifying college."[2] Andy Thomason of The Chronicle of Higher Education called the presentation of the special "brutal" in its criticism of both for-profit and traditional universities.[7] Gaby Dunn of The Daily Dot compared the fictional college to the University of Phoenix in her review of the special.[5] Laughing Squid's EDW Lynch called the infomercial "hilarous",[8] while Splitsider stated of all of Adult Swim's faux-infomericals, the special was "the best one yet".[9]

See also

References

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  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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