Some More News is an American web series hosted by Cody Johnston and co-created by him and his producer Katy Stoll. It features Cody addressing various major news stories of the week, discussing them with an increasing frustration which has become his trademark.
Some More News actually had its start back in early 2017 under the name ‘Some News’, where it was a regularly featured segment on Cracked. It was functionally very similar to the show it would go on to be, and continued to be aired on Cracked until they laid off the majority of their staff including the entire video team, of which Cody and Katy were members, and unfortunately the show was cancelled.
Fortunately, Cody and Katy were not content to let it die, and so revived the project in a similar but legally distinct spiritual successor, Some More News.
Before we move on, let’s discuss the creators a little, as I mentioned above, both Cody and Katy were former Cracked content creators, and they’ve worked together on numerous projects, I particularly enjoyed their characters and dynamics in the Cracked series ‘The Start Up’, which is a comical web series about the trials and tribulations of a group of people working for a start-up business which is going absolutely nowhere. Honestly I love them both and I’m glad that they were able to find new ventures beyond Cracked.
One last comment before I continue on to the list, I debated whether or not to include content from Some News, or make this strictly videos from Some More News, but in the end I decided to include my favourites from both as they are in essence one and the same, and also because if i didn’t then you would miss out on some of that sweet radioactive boar action that Cody has become known for. Okay now let’s move on to the Top 10 list.
1. Death To Baby Nut – SOME MORE NEWS
Not being American I missed out on the death of Mr. Peanut and the birth of his successor Baby Nut and so my first exposure to it was this video but seriously though it’s ridiculous. What I liked about this video other than it featuring my favourite mascot Professor Seeds Von Greasy was that it was just funny, you felt his outrage and legitimate confusion at the whole thing and I strongly think it’s worth a watch.
2. Star War News – SOME MORE NEWS
I admire Cody’s ability to have fun, sure his dishevelled, disgruntled, and occasionally manic presenting style is part of the reason why I love his show but equally he has a lot of fun doing what he does and can take time out to do an entire Star Wars themed parody of his show. If you’re a fan of Star Wars then you’ll definitely get a kick out of this episode.
3. SOME NEWS SPECIAL REPORT: This Boar is a weapon of mass destruction
Okay I knew I was including at least one of those on Cody’s Boar fixation but this one had to make the list because it’s hilarious. I mean I know it’s a bit but not only does he put so much effort into it but also it’s incredibly well researched and backed up. You can feel the intensity and energy of the whole manic boar thing and if you watch one video on this list then watch this one because it’s great. I like that he doesn’t just tie together various boar sightings but also provides a potential reason for them as well. It’s the most cogent conspiracy theory since someone tried to convince me Australia was real. I suggest you watch the rest of the narrative by clicking here.
4. Perhaps Ben Shapiro Shouldn’t Be Taken Seriously By Anyone About Anything – SOME MORE NEWS
Not only is this a great episode, which largely encapsulates everything I like about both the show and Cody, from the humour to the information presented honestly and fairly but it’s also the first official Some More News video I saw and so has a special place in my heart. I already didn’t real care for Ben Shapiro but this video brought that into focus, I like that you get a clear sense of Cody’s opinion but he never really strays from facts when presenting why he doesn’t like something or why he disagrees with something, this works for me because as Shapiro is prone to saying, “Facts Don’t Care About Your Feelings”.
5. John Krasinski’s Good News Grift – SOME MORE NEWS
I enjoyed the first part of this story, which you can check out here but this one won out because you can feel that behind the silliness and exasperation that there’s some real upset over this, not professional jealousy, but a legitimate concern for why this happened and how this happened. I was never keen on John Krasinski. I haven’t watched the American version of the Office yet, and to my knowledge I have seen anything he’s been in either but the impression I get from him is that he’s just a discount Zachary Levi. So seeing this rich and handsome man, get even richer and more successful for selling a concept that’s not even original just boils my blood and Cody vindicates this.
6. Some… Good News? – SOME MORE NEWS
I’ve enjoyed all of Cody’s Some More News content, right back to when it was hosted on Cracked under a different name but there’s no denying that while he makes entertaining content he deals in heavy and complex subject matter which can be draining over time so it was pleasing to see him shake off the regular persona and do something a little more light-hearted, even the comments managed to stay largely positive as well. What I liked most was that it was a nuanced performance where we see him present these positive things while struggling against his more cynical side.
7. Why Is Tucker Carlson? – SOME MORE NEWS
It was watching this episode that I realised that Cody was a more entertaining, less restrained John Oliver. In broad strokes their content is similar, certainly enough that YouTube keeps suggesting John Oliver in the related videos tab but as I said Cody has the edge because he doesn’t have the same oversight as an independent creator that the HBO show Last Week Tonight does. Seriously though this video is great, Cody throughout raises points about Tucker Carlson, proves him wrong or disproves his claims all the while sprinkling in playful nicknames and insults about the man because Cody refuses to take these people seriously since they don’t respect the public enough to be honest with them.
8. The Dystopian Reality Of All Those “Inspirational” Stories – SOME MORE NEWS
I really enjoyed this because it presented a side to these stories I’d never really thought about, before when I’d watched them I was able to enjoy and find solace in these terrible times by seeing something overwhelmingly sweet and positive but it never occurred to me how toxic and damaging they can be and how they put a novelty bandage on a real problem. Again I am impressed by Cody’s ability to make something heavy into an easily digestible and engaging piece of content. I’m from the UK and we have the BBC as one of our primary broadcasting entities and it’s goals and/or objectives as a broadcaster is to ‘inform, educate and entertain’ and I feel that without really trying Cody succeeds in doing what the BBC and many other broadcasters have been struggling to do for decades.
9. The Oceans Are Heating Up, But The President’s Hats Are Cool – Some News
I loved this video because I learned something but also as is common for Cody’s videos, he presents something that’s concerning with the right balance of humour and incredulity. Honestly, I’m glad he found his niche with this show because he just has the ideal balance for a presenter. I will admit he has a bias toward the left but since I already feel like that’s the right side of the political spectrum, and pardon the pun, it’s not an issue and because he doesn’t have any oversight like conventional news channels he doesn’t need to treat stuff like climate change like a debate rather than a fact.
10. How You Can Stick It To Comcast And Verizon Today – SOME NEWS SPECIAL REPORT (Net Neutrality)
What I liked about this video was that it educates the viewer of the importance of net neutrality and clears away the disinformation and broadcasts the facts around it which are deliberately obfuscated to make money and keep people uninformed. But you can get that elsewhere, what makes this unique is Cody’s trademark delivery and sense of humour that makes this and every other video worth watching.
Honourable mentions go to Jared Kushner: Coronavirus Hero Boy – SOME MORE NEWS, That Time Everyone Tried To Defend Injecting Bleach – SOME MORE NEWS and Some Good Things President Donald Trump Has Done – SOME MORE NEWS which I also really enjoyed but didn’t quite make the top 10 list.
So those were my Top 10 Some More News episodes and if you want to find your own then why not subscribe to their channel over on YouTube. You can also get all the extra bits by listening to their podcast, Even More News. While you’re at it, why not support them by signing up to their Patreon and by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Oh and you can also click here to get yourself some awesome merch.
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