TVSquad

They say you should never meet your idols, that it will always, inevitably, be a disappointment. Or, in the case of comedy writer Adam De La Pena, a danger to your emotional, psychological, and physical well-being.

See, Adam, who wrote for Crank Yankers and The Man Show, is a huge fan of Gary Busey, the eccentric actor who has appeared in over one hundred movies throughout his career. The 2003 Comedy Central series I'm With Busey followed the shy, soft-spoken Adam and his new pal Gary, a twisted, screaming, abusive oddball as they went on whatever adventure Gary could come up with. In one episode they took part in a demolition derby, which culminated in Adam getting truly pissed at Gary and shoving him into one of the cars. In another, Gary dares Adam to drink a gallon of milk in less than an hour. Adam, of course, loses his lunch, something I could have told him would happen after seeing a college friend attempt this several years ago.

I can't say I really miss the show, as I think it worked best as a kind of firecracker that would pop and force you to pay attention, if only for a moment. While it was fun to see these two wildly different personalities play off one another, the novelty of the show would have worn off after awhile. Gary and his warped mind propelled the show, but it was Adam's genuine horror and embarrassment that made it palpable. Also, it was never quite clear how much of Gary's act was real and how much was just acting. This may be the only show I could call a "trainwreck" and not mean it as an insult.