The Onion unpeels another layer

Incomprehensible Shouting Named Official U.S. Language

The Onion is best known as a spoof newspaper, with a lesser known spinoff book series and radio clips. 

Now comes a weekly half-hour TV version of the brand, the Onion News Network. This spoof of TV news (mission statement: "A tomahawk of honesty in the skull of lies") is currently broadcast on the IFC cable channel. 

As with the newspaper, website, books and radio show, there are some dud jokes that fall flat. But for the most part, ONN is a spot-on spoof of local and national news.

The spoofs start from the get-go, with a bombastic, sound-effect heavy intro that weaves in the ridiculous (images of digital fingerprints, ala "CSI"). "Anchors" spoof the latest in overwrought broadcast TV gadgets, such as touchscreen pinch-and-zoom monitors that look good but add little to the storytelling. ONN cut no corners when it comes to production values. 

Actress Suzanne Sena plays anchor "Brooke Alvarez" perfectly. Sena has a real-life TV background so she knows the ins and outs of the business. She's perfect as ONN's caustic voice of reason, regularly chastising ONN reporters, sources and viewers for being mere shadows of her greatness. 

Stories run the gamut, from breaking news like "Incomprehensible Shouting named Official U.S. Language" (clip above) to "Nation elects first openly drunk senator."

Those are funny. But some spots left me squeamish, such as when Alvarez taunts serial killers to pick up their game (I can just see some nut taking her up on that offer). 

After the first few episodes, I wasn't sure whether ONN was a keeper. But the writing staff have managed to soften the rough edges over the past few weeks and bring more consistency and diversity to the newscast. 

For a nice behind-the-scenes look at just how hard it is to get a joke into The Onion, give a listen to the first act in this episode of "This American Life" (that segment starts at 4:30):