Ep 1. Enter the Fact Zone

Enter the Fact Zone is the first episode of the satirical news series called Onion News Network. It first aired on January 21st, 2011, on IFC.

The show, which is set up like a mainstream news broadcast, features a team of journalists who deliver realistic-looking reports on current events. With Onion News, however, the stories are entirely fictional and serve to poke fun at our society's obsession with sensationalism and tabloid journalism.

In this episode, viewers are introduced to the show's main anchor, Brooke Alvarez, and her co-host, Tucker Hope. Together, they set the tone for the series by reporting on a range of absurd and entirely made-up stories, including a piece on a new contraceptive device called the "SpermTaser," and another on a group of moms who are protesting a local mall because they claim it's too full of "whores and thugs."

Throughout the episode, the show's writers skewer various aspects of the news media--from pandering to their audiences with fluff stories to exploiting disasters for ratings--and their quick wit and clever wordplay keep the comedy moving along at a rapid pace.

One of the standout segments of the episode is a mock interview with a fictional "expert" named Dr. Suzanne Mendoza. Dr. Mendoza is a scientist who has supposedly developed a new machine that can gauge the truthfulness of politicians' statements. The segment culminates in a hilarious exchange between Dr. Mendoza and Tucker, who she accuses of being "the most lying piece of sh*t" she's ever tested.

Another notable segment is a fake public service announcement that addresses the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States. The announcement is not only a parody of the xenophobic attitudes that sometimes dominate news coverage, but it also takes jabs at the often-overwrought language used by politicians and pundits when discussing this sensitive topic.

Overall, the show is a brilliant satire of modern news, media, and popular culture in general. The writers have a keen eye for the ridiculous and the absurd, and they know just how to skewer the excesses of our modern world with their sharp wit and incisive commentary.

Even though the show originally aired almost a decade ago, it's still just as relevant and hilarious today as it was back then. If you're a fan of smart, laugh-out-loud comedy, then Onion News Network is definitely a show that you should check out.