I genuinely believe the active threat of the Opester trampling over a bit forced them to keep their jokes sharp and concise. More often than not, their performance during Nopie shows was abysmal - just like it is in their own content.
The best shows, in my opinion, were the ones when they had more than just the three of them talking. One comedian, one decent guest, one of the freaks, or even a producer to bash (preferably E-Rock) made the show good.
Anthony always ranted too much, Opie talked about regular shit too much (I don't care about the fucking Islanders), and Jimmy was basically their Fez who only chimed in when he had a personal comment or a bit to try. Sometimes the three of them could be entertaining together, especially when all three locked in and clowned on an interesting subject (e.g. mocking Captain Sully), but their strength was always the Cellar Crew showing up, torturing their staff, and some of their funny bits. When even one was out or disengaged, and when they had no guest, the shows fucking stunk.
Ron & Fez has more longevity because you can listen to thousands of hours and still not understand certain in-jokes. Fez's absolute lunacy would make a great case study. People still debate whether certain events were shoots or works. However, this makes it a greater time investment, and you won't enjoy it if you don't like listening to two best friends, who deeply love each other, begin to deeply resent one another without any ability to resolve it.
