Evil is in the eye of the beholder. And that goes double for the pair of comic debaters squaring off during "Lewis Black's Root of All Evil."
This new Comedy Central series is where you'll find unlikely arguments for Paris Hilton being more evil than Dick Cheney. Or "American Idol" exceeding the evilness of high school. Or YouTube beating porn on the Evil Meter.
The famously fiery Lewis Black is host, hearing testimony from two guest comedians as each makes his outrageous case. Then, gavel in hand, Judge Black hands down his decision, settling the question (at least until the next station break).
Is North Korean leader Kim Jong Il or MTV's Tila Tequila more evil? This burning issue will be taken up in a future edition. Next week, "Root of All Evil" weighs the evilness of Donald Trump vs. Viagra.
The premiere episode boldly pits the Catholic Church against Oprah Winfrey.
Arguing that Oprah is the prevailing force of evil, comic Paul F. Tompkins declares that if she isn't the leader of a cult, "I don't what a cult is. And if I don't know what a cult is, I should stop reading `Dianetics' immediately."
On the other side is Greg Giraldo, who says the church has "such a grip over the mindless masses that they'll wait in line ... for hours just to get a glimpse of a pork rind in the shape of the Virgin Mary."
Some viewers may find "Root of All Evil" wickedly funny. Others may just find it wicked. Either way, it premieres Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. EST.