The Jack And Triumph Show: How A Wholesome Actor And An Insult Comic Dog Poop On The Multicam Format

The Unlikely Duo: Jack McBrayer and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog

Jack McBrayer’s performance as Kenneth the Page on 30 Rock is immortal because his indefatigable enthusiasm was the heart of a show that ruthlessly pursued each and every joke it could sink its teeth into (he was also literally immortal, but that’s a story for another time).

The performance made Jack McBrayer the go-to man for wholesome, purehearted weirdos on TV, which is why Conan O’Brien thought it would be funny to send him into the meanest, cruelest place on the planet: Chicago’s Wiener’s Circle, a rough and tumble hole in the wall where employees and customers scream insults and expletives at one another. Poor Jack was no match for their negativity, but luckily he didn’t come alone.

Enter: Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and his iconic cigar. Triumph, a rottweiler hand puppet performed by Robert Smigel with a seemingly never ending encyclopedia of insults, is one of Conan’s most famous recurring characters and his journey into the depths of the Wiener’s Circle became one of Conan’s biggest viral moments, racking up over 16 million views since it aired.

Jack’s wholesome charm and Triumph’s merciless roasting made the two an instant comic duo, and Conan brought them back together again for a short lived Adult Swim series that played into their comic archetypes, appropriately called The Jack and Triumph Show.

“The Jack and Triumph Show”: A Sitcom Deconstruction

While Triumph is primarily known for recording man on the street interviews, like his immortal tear through the premiere of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, The Jack and Triumph Show brings him into the world of classic Hollywood multi-camera sitcoms like I Love Lucy with a decidedly modern sense of humor.

Jack McBrayer stars as Jack Mlicki, the former child star of the show Triumph’s Boy, about a little boy and his loveable pooch played by Triumph. As a former child actor, Triumph took advantage of Jack’s naivety, but Jack loves him anyways, oblivious to all the horrible things Triumph has made him do over the years. When they hit their rock bottom, Jack turned to actress June Squibb, who played his mother on the original show, and she conspires to keep Jack and Triumph apart for Jack’s own good.

In its short 7 episode run, the series is rife with jokes in poor taste and poorer taste, which is to be expected from Triumph’s oeuvre. Jack and Triumph play off each other well, even if the intentional stageyness of the multicam format does buckle against the faster paced comedy style fans are used to. And June Squibb holds herself admirably in between the two, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who saw last year’s indie darling Thelma.

But that wasn’t enough to keep The Jack and Triumph Show on the air, and as of now, it’s currently nowhere to be watched on any streaming service. A simple Google search can point you in the right direction to watch the show on an internet archive, and also every other Triumph bit from the last 15 years, all of which prove Triumph to be one of our finest comedians … for me to poop on!