Afternoon Delight: Al Franken & David Letterman Hilariously Tackle Climate Change In ‘Boiling the Frog’

What better way to prepare for the fast-approaching weekend than by indulging in the some of the Internet’s most well-done web content? Take advantage of your lunch break and treat yourself to Afternoon Delight, Decider’s carefully curated picks of the best short-form content available on the world wide web. This week we’re spotlighting Boiling the Frog with Senator Al Franken, a new web series from Funny or Die that addresses climate change – and the difficulty in getting D.C. to care about it – in a comedic manner.

The series, from Funny or Die and the creators of National Geographic’s Years of Living Dangerously, pairs Franken with David Letterman to explore the implications of climate change, the difficulties lawmakers face in passing legislation regarding the climate, and the realities of what the Trump administration has done to hurt the efforts of climate advocates with his spreading of false propaganda. While this all may sound very serious, the perfectly-paired duo manages to address all of these things in a way that’s both educational and entertaining.

“Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate change is real,” Franken says. “What you and I need to do is prove that we’re organized enough and persistent enough and passionate enough to force Washington to act.” With subject matter ranging from who the Koch Brothers are and what they really do to support climate change deniers to the big organizations that allow some seriously shady things to go down, Boiling the Frog really makes a handful of topics that might otherwise seem daunting become incredibly accessible. By using Franken to explain things to an inquisitive, eager-to-learn Letterman, we are able to use Letterman as our own surrogate and take things away from these enlightening lessons on the state of our world.

The union of these two comedy legends is not necessarily the medium in which we may have anticipated renewable energy being discussed, but it is remarkably effective. Over the course of the series’ six episodes, they bring in experts to weigh in on hot-button issues, explore what might be ahead for their children and grandchildren, and even examine Letterman’s infamous retirement beard. The banter and use of layman’s terms to simplify what are typically difficult concepts for the public to understand combine to make Boiling the Frog one of a kind, and it’s exactly the kind of series that the internet is made for. Who’d have thought comedy and climate change would make such a good match?

Stream all six episodes on Funny or Die, and be sure to check out Years of Living Dangerously for a more serious spin on the subject from the same creators (and Letterman!).