The singing, acting and comedic duo Garfunkel and Oates bring a quirky humor to Netflix viewers. Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci pay homage to Art Garfunkel and John Oates, two rock ‘n’ roll icons, in their name.

Lindhome and Micucci created their duo as a band first, and later went on to create their Independent Film Channel show. Together the two sing raunchy songs exploring various topics from awkward hand-jobs to hating sports. They have released three full albums and one EP (an extended player and type of album) and many of those songs are featured in their show.

“I thought the sense of humor was kind of quirky, but blatant, and I was a little turned off by it at first,” stated Hannah Larner, a sophomore history major. “But then I noticed they were placing all these themes in every episode like feminism, and modern romance and media.”

The show explores areas deeper than their song topics may suggest, though. With the first episode beginning with a lighthearted tone, and the finale leaving the viewers on a more serious note, Lindhome and Micucci find a balance in their message of the show.

In one episode, the two experiment by going on dates with men and not saying a word, which ended up carrying on far past their expectations.

They were being mute as a social experiment to see if the men would notice that they were being quiet.

“People aren’t really listening to what women are saying,” said Larner. “I think that episode kind of highlights that idea. I thought that was really interesting.”

The episodes and songs draw inspiration from real events that have occurred in both the artists’ lives.

“Sometimes I find myself in this super raw place onstage where I’m like, ‘Maybe that’s not the best thing. Maybe I need to shut down a little,'” stated Lindhome in a Rolling Stone interview when pressed about the differences between their fictional selves and actual selves. “The biggest trap that all performers and writers find is that when something really crazy, really bad happens, your mind immediately goes to ‘can I write about this?’ — which is good and bad.”

The duo don’t take themselves too seriously in their fictional character portrayals on screen.

“Neither of the characters are sexualized,” said Larner. “When they have sexual interactions, it’s just to point out how awkward they are instead of making them look sexy.”

For two women in comedy and television, competing against oversexualized women can divert their viewers. Garfunkel and Oates choose not to hypersexualize themselves on the show for the sake of the idea that sex sells.

The two released a video titled “Sports Go Sports,” which received negative feedback because they poked fun at sports and conveyed the idea that they don’t care for them.

The musical and comedic duo’s quirky yet raunchy sense of humor serve to bring their viewers out of their comfort zone when watching. However, they weave a level of seriousness throughout each episode bringing in a bigger audience without hypersexualizing themselves.

Garfunkel and Oates are funny, vulgar and well worth paying attention to.

Katelyn Martin can be reached at [email protected] or @katelynmmartin_ on Twitter.