'The Chit Show,' a new social media sketch comedy, has fans in stitches
Millions of social media users probably can't stop repeating the quirky catchphrase: "Do it lady!"
A new TikTok sketch comedy, known as "The Chit Show," has gone viral since launching in May. The series of short social media videos follows Chit, a slightly awkward and slightly hunched office worker who sports a mean bowl cut and Jeffrey Dahmer-style glasses. As of July 3, "The Chit Show" had garnered more than 1 million followers on TikTok and now has its own merchandise line.
The series seemingly gained popularity for its likeness to the sitcom, "The Office," due to its quick camera turns and characters who break the fourth wall to make prolonged eye contact with the viewer.
The man behind Chit, Jay Renshaw, created the middle-aged character about six years ago. Renshaw is a member of The Groundlings Main Company, an improv school and talent group based in Los Angeles. He created Chit for a solo skit performance while part of "The Groundlings" amateur sketch comedy show.
The initial skit Renshaw performed as Chit was the now-viral, "Do it lady!" In the skit, Chit and his coworkers are signing a birthday card for a coworker, in which Chit writes: "Do it lady!" His colleagues are confused by the sentiment. As his peers wonder what he means, Chit tries his best to convince everyone that "Do it lady!" is a real catchphrase. As of July 3, the "Do it lady!" TikTok video had more than 8.6 million views.
Who is Chit?
Chit is the main character of "The Chit Show." A middle-aged man with a silly and awkward personality, Chit doesn't appear to get much work done, as seen in many of the TikTok videos. But he cares about his colleagues, loves listening to Lil Wayne and Chappell Roan and can down a White Claw (of course, while on the clock).
As for the name, Renshaw said "Chit" is a play on words.
"It sounds like a small, ineffectual thing. Also, it has like a rhyme ... which has been so helpful to us to have Chit Show sound like (expletive) show," Renshaw told Paste BN. "It just sounds something diminutive. The actual word means a little pay stub receipt, so it just fits his nature. It feels like also the relation of chitchat. There's so many possibilities."
The making of Chit
Renshaw and his colleague, Kiel Kennedy, who mans the camera and is an off-screen character in the sketch comedy, posted the first Chit video to TikTok on May 28. The video, as of July 3, had more than 6.3 million views.
Currently, Renshaw and Kennedy film videos about twice a week, posting a new video every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Renshaw, who is the main writer of the show, said sometimes he pre-writes scripts verbatim as he wants to see them executed. Sometimes he comes in with a loose framework, and then other times, he and Kennedy just work out an entire idea together while filming.
"The thing about social media is you get such a real-time response from your audience as to what they're really responding to and maybe what they're not," Renshaw said. "It's not to say we would ever deviate so far from what we intend for the series, but it can be helpful sometimes to know how to adjust the dial on certain characters based on the audience response."
What are people saying?
Social media users are loving Chit, especially his antics.
"Someone get them on TV or a streaming service (please)," one TikTok user commented.
Renshaw, who said he was off all social media from 2016 until launching the Chit series in May, said the outpouring of support online has been a bit like "whiplash."
"I remember the first night I posted on TikTok, you were like, 'Yeah, I bet we could get to 50,000 in a month,'" Renshaw said to Kennedy. "I was like no way. That just seemed unfathomable. Fast forward to a million in a month. I still can't really wrap my head around it honestly."
But beyond the follower count, Renshaw said it is the community that has come together around Chit that makes him proud.
"I think equally delightful is seeing just how many audiences Chit has reached and touched," Renshaw said. "Just when I think (Chit) sort of extended his reach as far as it'll go, I find out there's a whole different demographic that is also loving Chit just as much. It's been this strangely universal thing, which (has), I think, been maybe the most rewarding part of it."
What is the future of Chit?
When asked about the future of "The Chit Show," Renshaw and Kennedy both said they are open to taking the comedy series wherever it leads. But most importantly, they want to stay true to Chit.
"I think ultimately the goal is just to maintain the integrity of what we've created and protect the character because he's so beloved, not only by us, but by so many people now that we don't want to get involved in a process that would disrupt what we've made," Renshaw said. "We're definitely staying vigilant about not only potential opportunity for the show but also protecting what it is and the unique charm that it does have."
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at Paste BN. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.