243:, lauded the pair, noting that despite the audience tension on account of the performance beginning ten minutes late, "the result was a very different, very funny hour of comedy that quickly won the audience’s affections and left everyone with big grins on their faces." Stapley called The Chris and Paul Show's approach to sketch comedy "novel", praising their "impressive physical comedy chops", and the way in which they incorporate impromptu participation by audience members into their sketches. Although Stapley also criticized the duo for the length of their "long, awkward pauses," and with their ability to end a scene, "the physical talent and originality on display...more than made up for it. Chris and Paul put on a relentlessly unique sketch show and did it very well indeed. A highly entertaining and highly recommended hour of comedy."
234:. Bennett noted the manner in which their skits gradually establish their premise in judiciously quiet moments, before implementing more manic payoffs that subvert expectations. While Bennett did not believe that the setups were always paced properly, he noted the ones that were, saying, "To call them sketches would seem to demean their unquestionable artistry – builds up the tension so beautifully, then punctures it so hilariously with just two short words, it's one of the best single moments of the Fringe."
221:, lauded the act, saying that it offers "a unique show of interesting and surprising skits that are both intelligent and hilarious. The show starts slowly but the audience instantly warm to the two Americans. Their comedic dynamic is spot on, and it shows." Morgan called the duo "one of the greatest sketch shows I've ever seen."
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Jessica Goldstein, commenting on the duo's practice of setting up an idea, only for it to be subverted in the payoff, stated, "'The Chris and Paul Show' is their sensibility distilled to its simplest form: a joke heads in one direction but veers to the left at the last minute, and the sketch snaps
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described as "modern day vaudeville with an edgy, unexpected twist." In one of their sketches, for example, O'Neill and
Valenti act out getting into a car as cheerful music plays over what appears to be a pleasant ride. The skit takes a turn when it is revealed that the smiling and cheerful
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characters are actually on their way to commit a bank robbery, which then leads to a violent police chase. O'Neill said of his comedy, "We like to set it up where the audience likes to think where the sketch is going and then we turn the switch on them."
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O'Neill and
Valenti met in 1999 at the theater company Curtain Call in Stamford, where they both attended a class taught by community theater veteran Suzi Lynch, who was quickly impressed with the duo. She taught them comedy by masters such as
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108:. She also imparted to them the principle that "To be funny, you don’t have to be dirty," teaching instead that "You just have to be silly. Don’t be afraid to be silly." O'Neill and Valenti refer to Lynch as their "
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before leaving college to pursue comedy full time. He performed at the
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called O'Neill and
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2011 Best Actor in a Comedy (O'Neill and
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and minimal or no dialogue, a style influenced by comedians like
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The Chris and Paul Show's sketches involve an emphasis on
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654:. NBC. August 27, 2013.
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