CNN releases political 'Too Many Cooks' parody for 2016 election

CNN made a parody of Adult Swim’s most famous parody short.

That statement almost sounds like a parody of a news story itself, but it’s true.

The news network debuted its own spoof on the hit Too Many Cooks, a parody of cheesy sitcom openings that devolves into something much, much more bizarre and brilliant.

CNN followed that model, lifting the audio exactly as it was in the Adult Swim original, albeit in shortened form, for a new take on the title.

The CNN version puts a political spin on the lyrics, as the video lists off the many possible candidates who have been discussed in relation to the 2016 presidential race.

But of course, CNN stays true to the original, and things, unsurprisingly, become quite strange by the end.

The lyrics actually fit surprisingly well to the topic, and it’s an amusing idea on the surface to showcase just how many names are thrown around for an election almost two years away. (Not that some outlets didn’t begin discussing the 2016 race minutes after the 2012 election.) The collection of politicians at the beginning and the escalation to military powers throughout the world helps propel the parody.

The video tries to capitalize on the original’s seeming randomness and darker twists with the use of Carly Fiorina’s “Demon Sheep” political ad. But while Adult Swim’s video functions on several different levels of parody and outright entertainment, it feels like at times CNN missed the point.

However, maybe a more pressing question than whether CNN made an accurate enough parody of a parody is… why did CNN make it? Maybe someone at the network is trying to audition for John Stewart’s spot when The Daily Show‘s host leaves later this year.