Comics Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have known each other for years. They were both in the cast of MadTV. Now they’re starting their own sketch-comedy series, due to launch on Comedy Central Jan. 31.

You can learn a lot about what makes them tick in a sketch that features Peele impersonating President Obama, while Key plays “Luther,” the president’s “anger translator.” Key paces back and forth, flails his arms and sometimes puts his face right into the camera like he’s about to punch it. As President Obama, Jordan Peele is cool, calm and unflappable. Peele’s mannerisms and tone are strikingly similar to the President’s.

Key and Peele say the idea came from a few different sources. But mostly, says Key, they wanted to “find a way to finagle Obama’s nature and use that as a nugget. How could we … get someone to interpret what we know he really wants to say?’”