Lester & Charlie is a social satire

Social commentary

Social commentary is the act of rebelling against an individual, or a group of people by rhetorical means, or commentary on social issues or society...

/political satire

Political satire

Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...

 web series

Web series

A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...

 created, produced, edited and directed by Jeff Bond and Richard Wooley. In each episode

Episode

An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...

, the title characters attempt to resolve a person’s dilemma or address a socio-political issue by executing a misguided but well-intentioned scheme. Segments have appeared on CNN

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

, Time

Time (magazine)

Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

 and on Alan Colmes

Alan Colmes

Alan Samuel Colmes is an American radio/television host, liberal political commentator for the Fox News Channel, and blogger. He is the host of The Alan Colmes Show, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show distributed by Fox News Radio that also airs throughout the United States on Fox News Talk...

' blog Liberaland. Each episode is purportedly produced on a US$20 budget and shot with a broken camcorder.

In 2011, in collaboration with the Coffee Party USA

Coffee Party USA

The Coffee Party USA is an American political movement that was initially formed in January, 2010, as an alternative to the Tea Party movement, and has since grown into an increasingly diverse organization....

, Lester and Charlie produced a series of videos marking the one-year anniversary of the controversial Citizens United

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, , was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that the First Amendment prohibits government from censoring political broadcasts in candidate elections when those broadcasts are funded by corporations or unions...

 decision by the United States Supreme Court.

In May 2011, they appeared in character in the Bravo reality

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 series Pregnant in Heels

Pregnant in Heels

Pregnant in Heels is a documentary drama airing Tuesdays at 10/9c on Bravo, which premiered in 2011. Following fashion designer Rosie Pope as she helps expectant mothers through her maternity concierge service, Rosie also owns a couture maternity clothing boutique and runs MomPrep , a training...

.

Cast and locations

Main Cast Member Guest Cast Member Location

NAME	INFORMATION
Lester	as himself, a good-natured moron Moron (psychology) Moron is a term once used in psychology to denote mild mental retardation. The term was closely tied with the American eugenics movement. Once the term became popularized, it fell out of use by the psychological community, as it was used more commonly as an insult than as a psychological...
Charlie	as himself, another good-natured moron
Joe Biden Joe Biden Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...	in episode Vote!
Jim Knipfel Jim Knipfel Jim Knipfel , is an American novelist, autobiographer, and journalist.A native of Wisconsin, Knipfel, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, is the author of a series of critically acclaimed memoirs, Slackjaw, Quitting the Nairobi Trio, and Ruining It for Everybody, as well as two novels, The...	in episode Blind Justice
Amani Toomer Amani Toomer Amani Toomer is a retired American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan, where he was a fan favorite.Toomer has also been a member of the Kansas...	in episode Hail Mary Pass
Susan Wilson Solovic Susan Wilson Solovic Susan Wilson Solovic is an American entrepreneur and author. She has written four best-selling books on women and business and is a regular contributor to ABC's America This Morning and Money Matters, MSNBC's Your Business and Fox-TV's Good Day New York, as well as other local and national...	in episode Lester & Charlie: The Lost Episodes
Ron Corning Ron Corning Ron Corning is an American television host at the ABC affiliate WFAA in Dallas, Texas. He co-anchors the station's morning newscast, Daybreak, and is solo anchor of Midday, the station's one-hour noon newscast....	in episode American Outrage
Bobby Rivers Bobby Rivers For the Jon English character, see All Together Now .Bobby Rivers was the host of the now-defunct Top 5 show on the Food Network, and Watch Bobby Rivers, a critically acclaimed prime-time celebrity talk show on VH1...	in episode Support Group
Murray Hill, Inc. Murray Hill Incorporated Murray Hill Inc. is a Maryland-based public relations firm. To protest the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC, Murray Hill Inc. announced plans to file to run in the Republican primary in Maryland's 8th Congressional District...	in episode The Corporation That Ran for Congress
Anne Maxfield	in episodes Painful Intercourse, Desperately Seeking Sanity and Support Group
Dr. Chris Caine	in episode Meth Rats
Celia Howard	in episode Mother
Rev. Joan Alevras	in episode Mother
Mary Jones	in episode The Overlooked Guild
Sister Karol Jackowski	in episode Obama - Too Chill for the Spill?
The Real Housewives of New Jersey The Real Housewives of New Jersey The Real Housewives of New Jersey is a reality television program on the Bravo network which originally followed the lives of five women in and around several upscale communities in Northern New Jersey...	in episode Real Housewives Take on Gay Marriage Same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
Moran’s Chelsea	all episodes
Hunter College Hunter College Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...	in episode Meth Rats

Season 1

• Premier Date: November, 2008
• End Date: September, 2009

Title	Log Line
The Bradley Effect Bradley effect The Bradley effect, less commonly called the Wilder effect, is a theory proposed to explain observed discrepancies between voter opinion polls and election outcomes in some United States government elections where a white candidate and a non-white candidate run against each other... : Inoculations	Lester and Charlie take credit for the outcome of the 2008 Presidential Elections
Meth Rats	Lester and Charlie help forgotten victims in the war against drug abuse Drug abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
Taxi Driver	Lester and Charlie do their part to bring tech support jobs back to the USA
Bailout Bandwagon	Lester and Charlie figure out a way to help every citizen cure the bailout blues
Blind Justice	Unable to stop a criminal, Lester and Charlie give a serial victim the ammunition he needs to fend for himself
Hail Mary Pass Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....	Lester and Charlie tackle the health care Health care Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...  crisis
Painful Intercourse	Lester and Charlie ponder dyspareunia Dyspareunia Dyspareunia is painful sexual intercourse, due to medical or psychological causes. The symptom is reported almost exclusively by women, although the problem can also occur in men. The causes are often reversible, even when long-standing, but self-perpetuating pain is a factor after the original... , the disease that no one talks about
Mother	Lester and Charlie come to the aid of a harried mother and daughter
Support Group	Wives of investment bankers Investment banking An investment bank is a financial institution that assists individuals, corporations and governments in raising capital by underwriting and/or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities...  have their own support group Support group In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic... s – but what are the husbands of investment bankers doing for support?
The Overlooked Guild	Lester and Charlie are concerned about the fate of America’s favorite guild Guild A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
Take That, GOP Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	Lester and Charlie take on the impossible task of re-branding the Republican Party
Boycott Brigade	Lester and Charlie invite 100,000 people to join them as they decide to stop paying their credit card Credit card A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services... s
Lester & Charlie: The Lost Episodes	Lester and Charlie remember highlights of the last year with never-before-seen footage of their exploits

Season 2

• Premier Date: November, 2009
• End Date: July, 2010

  Title	Log Line
  American Outrage	Lester and Charlie set up a video hotline for angry Americans
  Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Don't ask, don't tell "Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...	Lester and Charlie set out to discover why any form of communication gap is tolerated in the military
  Last of the Last Straws	If the right people moved to Canada, the rest of us wouldn't have to
  Filibuster Filibuster A filibuster is a type of parliamentary procedure. Specifically, it is the right of an individual to extend debate, allowing a lone member to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal...  Fever	It worked so well for the United States Senate United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...  that now it's taking to the streets
  The Crush Video	After United States v. Stevens United States v. Stevens United States v. Stevens, 559 U.S. ___, 130 S.Ct. 1577 was an April 20, 2010 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled that the version of 18 U.S.C...  and the Supreme Court Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases... 's important ruling on free speech First Amendment to the United States Constitution The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering... , Lester and Charlie show you how easy it is to make your own crush video Crush film Crush films are videos of animals being crushed by being stepped on. The term hard crush refers to videos portraying the compaction death of larger animals Crush films are videos of animals being crushed by being stepped on. The term hard crush refers to videos portraying the compaction death of... .
  Tea Party for Title II	Tea Party Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...  candidate Rand Paul Rand Paul Randal Howard "Rand" Paul is the junior United States Senator for Kentucky. He is a member of the Republican Party. A member of the Tea Party movement, he describes himself as a "constitutional conservative" and a libertarian...  doesn't want the government telling private businesses they can't discriminate; Lester and Charlie invite business owners to fantasize about whom they'd like to keep outside.
  Obama - Too Chill for the Spill?	Lester and Charlie find a sensitivity coach to help Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...  deal with the BP oil spill Deepwater Horizon oil spill The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
  You're Soaking In It	We all know we shouldn't be so dependent on oil, but do we know where to start?
  Desperately Seeking Sanity	Lester and Charlie have some tough questions for Republicans, but first they have to find out where they hide.
  Going Postal	Wall Street is hiring again, and the economic crisis could be in its last throes. Lester and Charlie are worried about the people whom a recovery might leave behind.

Season 3

• Premier Date: August, 2010
• End Date: Ongoing

  Title	Log Line
  Real Housewives Take on Gay Marriage	Lester and Charlie ask The Real Housewives of New Jersey The Real Housewives of New Jersey The Real Housewives of New Jersey is a reality television program on the Bravo network which originally followed the lives of five women in and around several upscale communities in Northern New Jersey... : Why all this fuss about gay marriage Same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality.... ?
  Stop Making Sense	With the Democrats suffering from an "enthusiasm gap", Lester and Charlie suggest taking a page out of the GOP playbook.
  Vote!	Lester and Charlie volunteer at a phone bank on the eve of the 2010 United States elections, 2010 The 2010 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 37 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate were contested in this election along with 38 state and territorial...  elections.
  The Corporate Takeover of America: You Either Are a Corporation, or You're Owned by One!	Lester and Charlie get a lesson from a new Congressman who supports Citizens United Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, , was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that the First Amendment prohibits government from censoring political broadcasts in candidate elections when those broadcasts are funded by corporations or unions... .
  The Corporate Takeover of America: The Corporation That Ran for Congress	Lester and Charlie's exclusive interview with Murray Hill, Inc. Murray Hill Incorporated Murray Hill Inc. is a Maryland-based public relations firm. To protest the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC, Murray Hill Inc. announced plans to file to run in the Republican primary in Maryland's 8th Congressional District... .
  The Corporate Takeover of America: Profiles in Courage, Part 1	The government didn't see Heather as too big to fail Too Big to Fail Too Big to Fail is a television drama film in the United States broadcast on HBO on May 23, 2011. It is based on the non-fiction book Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin. The TV film was directed by Curtis Hanson...  until she became a corporation.
  The Corporate Takeover of America: Profiles in Courage, Part 2	A little girl discovers that incorporation is the key to having a voice in American government.
  The Corporate Takeover of America: Profiles in Courage, Part 3	Lester and Charlie visit a support group for corporations.
  Don't Be a Sucker! Don't Be a Sucker! Don't Be a Sucker! is an anti-racist propaganda film produced by the US War Department in 1947. An American who has been listening to a racist rabble-rouser is warned off by a naturalized Hungarian immigrant, who explains to him how racist demagogy allowed the Nazis to rise to power in Germany,...	Lester and Charlie find a history lesson for the people who want to "take our country back" in a vintage anti-racist propaganda film Don't Be a Sucker! Don't Be a Sucker! is an anti-racist propaganda film produced by the US War Department in 1947. An American who has been listening to a racist rabble-rouser is warned off by a naturalized Hungarian immigrant, who explains to him how racist demagogy allowed the Nazis to rise to power in Germany,... .
  Concession Sessions	As Democrats yearn for a stronger Obama, Lester and Charlie find surprising historical precedent for presidents making concessions to the opposition.
  Gold4Cash?	With the world economy on the brink, all those people who gave their gold to Cash4Gold may have realized that they want their gold back.

Do It at Home, America!

Starting in 2009, Lester and Charlie have run a non-political sub-series, “Do It at Home, America!”, providing non-sensical tips on saving money in a tough economy.

• Premier Date: June, 2009
• End Date: Ongoing

  Title	Log Line
  Do It At Home Do it yourself Do it yourself is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals... , America!	Lester and Charlie show Americans how to use their underemployment Underemployment Underemployment refers to an employment situation that is insufficient in some important way for the worker, relative to a standard. Examples include holding a part-time job despite desiring full-time work, and overqualification, where the employee has education, experience, or skills beyond the...  time making the luxuries that they simply used to buy.
  Do It At Home, America: Marmaduke Marmaduke Marmaduke is a newspaper comic strip drawn by Brad Anderson from 1954 to the present day. The strip was created by Anderson, with help from Phil Leeming and later Dorothy Leeming , and Paul Anderson. The strip revolves around the Winslow family and their Great Dane, Marmaduke... !	Lester and Charlie demonstrate an easy way to stretch one's entertainment dollars.
  Do It At Home, America: Light Beer Low-alcohol beer Low-alcohol beer is beer with very low or no alcohol content... !	Lester and Charlie demonstrate a sure-fire way to make light beer at home.
  Do It At Home, America: Dry Cleaning Dry cleaning Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a chemical solvent other than water. The solvent used is typically tetrachloroethylene , abbreviated "perc" in the industry and "dry-cleaning fluid" by the public... !	Lester and Charlie demonstrate an easy way to do dry cleaning at home.
  Do It At Home, America: Greeting Card Greeting card A greeting card is an illustrated, folded card featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas or other holidays, they are also sent to convey thanks or express other feeling. Greeting cards,... !	Lester and Charlie demonstrate an easy way make your own store-bought-looking greeting card.
  Do It At Home, America: Google Google Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program... !	Lester and Charlie demonstrate an easy way make your own search engine.
  Do It At Home, America: Workout Video Physical exercise Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, as well as for the purpose of... !	Lester and Charlie find one element of health care Health care Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...  that no one has to pay for - their own workout video.
  Do It At Home, America: Coupon Coupon In marketing, a coupon is a ticket or document that can be exchanged for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product. Customarily, coupons are issued by manufacturers of consumer packaged goods or by retailers, to be used in retail stores as a part of sales promotions... !	Lester and Charlie demonstrate how easy it is to make your own coupon at home.
  Do It At Home, America: Rapture Rapture The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....	With everyone worried about the predicted rapture on May 21, 2011 2011 end times prediction The 2011 end times prediction made by American Christian radio host Harold Camping stated that the Rapture and Judgment Day would take place on May 21, 2011, and that the end of the world would take place five months later on October 21, 2011. The Rapture, in a specific tradition of premillennial... , Lester and Charlie show you how to pack your own survival kit.
  Do It At Home, America: Horoscope Horoscope In astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, the astrological aspects, and sensitive angles at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person's birth. The word horoscope is derived from Greek words meaning "a look at the hours" In...	With the price of newspapers going up, Lester and Charlie show you how to recycle old horoscopes from the 1950s.
  Do It At Home, America: Menthol Cigarettes Menthol cigarette A menthol cigarette is a cigarette flavored with the compound menthol, a substance which triggers the cold-sensitive nerves in the skin without actually providing a drop in temperature....	Wondering how tobacco companies can afford to market cheap cigarettes in urban markets, Lester and Charlie turn to WikiLeaks Wikileaks WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...  for the secret recipe for menthol cigarettes.

Creators

Jeff Bond, a formally trained actor, and Richard Wooley, a former executive of production in independent film

Independent film

An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...

, joined forces as a writing team in 2001. They adapted (from book to screenplay

Screenplay

A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...

) Elizabeth Fuller’s memoir, Me and Jezebel, about a chance encounter with Bette Davis

Bette Davis

Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...

, and Murdering Mr. Monti, the acclaimed children’s author Judith Viorst

Judith Viorst

Judith Viorst is an American author, newspaper journalist, and psychoanalysis researcher. She is perhaps best known for her children's literature, such as The Tenth Good Thing About Barney and the Alexander series of short picture books.In 1968, Viorst signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax...

’s only adult fiction novel. They have developed television series with Showtime, Revolution Studios

Revolution Studios

Revolution Studios is an American production company founded in 2000 by Joe Roth, a former chairman of Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox. Revolution was formerly a strategic partner of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which distributed and marketed Revolution's films. The company's film division...

 and Crossroads Television. Jeff Bond's most recent short story was published on McSweeney's Internet Tendency

McSweeney's

McSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...

.

See also

• Web Series
  Web series
  A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
  
  
• List of Internet Television Series
• Video blogging

External links

• official site
• Lester & Charlie on movementforthepeople.org