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TCB Debriefing 12/4/23: Ziwe/George Santos, Cole Escola, Central Park, Bill Burr

December 4, 2023

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1. Ziwe might be interviewing freshly ousted U.S. Representative George Santos. This is further proof that Showtime/Paramount is wholly foolhardy and short-sighted (for the sake of profit margins) for cancelling an iconic show.

Let’s do it @ziwe 😜 https://t.co/Y4TbeZEGOg

— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) December 3, 2023

3. The brilliance of Cole Escola will not be denied. This “lost” pilot for “Our Home Out West” is equal parts pitch-perfect camp and sharply drawn absurdism in a charming dreamy version of a Western with Cole giving Eddie Murphy a run for his money in playing multiple characters. Please watch and enjoy “Our Home Out West” now and over and over.

3. Apple TV+ cancels the musical comedy series Central Park after three seasons (Deadline). So much for a Bob’s Burgers, Great North, Central Park mega crossover episode in the Loren Bouchard-iverse (is that a thing, yet?).

4. Bill Burr has just announced his 2024 dates and we have a feeling you better set several reminders if you want to get tickets at billburr.com/tour if you want to get tix on Wednesday.

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A post shared by Bill Burr (@wilfredburr)

5. We’ll leave you with this: Amazon is brazenly taunting your dependence on them as a corporation in the Fallout trailer. Shop accordingly (i.e. maybe not on Amazon) this holiday season.

Apple TV+ Might Have the Next Must See Anthology Series with Roar

March 28, 2022

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It wasn’t too long ago where anthology series where such a rare occurrence that one might have to take a moment to even think of what the hell an anthology series would entail. So much of Ryan Murphy’s ouevre, Room 104, Cake, and much, much more have made anthologies a new avenue for TV that isn’t bound by the traditional narrative structure and expectations of your average TV show. Also, it was pretty convenient to make an anthology show during the height of the pandemic when you couldn’t really even get an entire cast together.

Riding high off their Best Picture Oscar win (also, Calls on Apple TV+ is satisfyingly dark and trippy), you can look to Apple TV+ and Cecelia Ahern’s book Roar for what might be a promising entry into the dramedy anthology category with Roar. A mysterious collection of 8 stories of women are driven by a seemingly magical-realism-forward dive into female identity with a pretty damn great cast of Nicole Kidman (also the EP) , Cynthia Erivo, Issa Rae, Merritt Wever, Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Meera Syal, Fivel Stewart, and Kara Hayward.

Like Atlanta was a sort of David Lynch-ian journey through the world of hip-hop and being black in America, Roar seems to be an Atlanta-esque tour along the wide and winding road of being a woman.

Take a gander at Roar‘s first trailer here, then look for it on Apple TV+ on Apr. 15th.

Behold All the Song and Mirth of Central Park Season 2 in This Trailer

June 15, 2021

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Within the Loren Bouchard-iverse, we’ve been wondering what sort of fate and several ingenious musical numbers would be coming for Central Park in this latest season. The wait to see how meta they’ll get and what possible genres of song (this is very much the best musical series since Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) they’ll explore this time around (the rap number about Weehawken is pretty stellar) is nearly over. Also, if you’ve been jonesing for more Kathryn Hahn or the original cast of Hamilton, your time is coming very soon too.

Season 2 of Central Park is set to kick off on Fri. Jun. 25th on Apple TV+ (though it probably won’t be all the episodes at once) with new episodes being dropped weekly. Until then, you can get a sonorous preview of what’s to come with these new episodes in this Central Park Season 2 Official Trailer here.

Mythic Quest Season 2 Gets Its First Full Trailer

April 13, 2021

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Mythic Quest is one of a growing number of series that is legitimizing Apple TV+’s place as a streaming service in the streaming wars. Taking the energy and verve of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and putting it into a video game studio has been a more than refreshing departure from the litany of fish-out-of-water sitcoms that get marched out and subsequently cancelled every TV season.

Even taking on a “very special episode”/dramedy tone for their quarantine episode, creators Rob McElhenney and Megan Ganz have conjured up a lovable cadre of very flawed misfits (some are lovable in spite of their shortcomings) in Mythic Quest that we’re genuine want to follow into whatever chaos they rustle up.

Thankfully, season 2 is just around the corner (May 7th on Apple TV+) and you can get your first full taste of what’s to come here.

Jon Stewart’s New Apple TV Plus Series To Be Called with “The Problem with Jon Stewart”

April 7, 2021

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(via THR)

In the years since Jon Stewart’s departure from The Daily Show, the late night world has expanded, gotten way more political, and even more diverse if you can believe it (though Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj not getting renewed and the arrival of Gutfeld! doesn’t help).

Stewart is now on the verge of returning to behind(?) a desk to dive into specific issues in a way that doesn’t seem too dissimilar to former Daily Show colleague John Oliver and his award winning Last Week Tonight.

It is actually interesting that this announcement does come on the heels of the premiere of Fox News’ very own nightly late night talk show this week with their funny(?) pundit, Greg Gutfeld. Stewart’s return doesn’t happen until later this fall, but it’s hard to not see how polarized comedy has become when it comes to being topical. Now, to be fair, we don’t know the how or the what in regards to tone, execution, etc. that will be brought with the cheekily named The Problem with Jon Stewart, especially now that Trump is an ex-president. Stewart remains a much missed voice in the arena of political comedy and late night and one has to wonder what sort of Jon are we going to get.

Is there going to be the Jon that crucified Mad Money’s Jim Cramer and took Arby’s to task on a regular basis or is it going to be the Jon that pleaded for some sanity and peace on Crossfire or is this going to be sort of like when Gandalf returned in white in the Lord of the Rings’ tragedy with a much more sobering demeanor?

Again, like most things with this particularly insane time in human history, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Get Your First Look and Listen at Central Park Season 2 with “Weehawken Rap”

March 12, 2021

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Central Park might be one of the best reasons to get Apple TV+. The very first season was an exuberant mix of clever commentary on municipal government and environmental politics, meta humor, and oh-so crafty songs that really takes the occasional musical spirit of Bob’s Burgers and runs like the wind with it.

Even if political efficacy and musicals aren’t your thing, Loren Bouchard, Nora Smith, and Josh Gad really whip up some magic with this show (and have already gotten renewed for a third season even before the second season hasn’t premiered yet).

You can get just a dollop of what we’re talking about with these several bars about Weehawken, NJ from this upcoming second season, premiering June 25th on Apple TV+.

Apple TV Plus Renews Musical Comedy Series “Central Park” for Season 3

March 10, 2021

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Very quietly throughout this time in lockdown, Loren Bouchard has been building his animated comedy empire. Bob’s Burgers place in the pantheon of beloved adult animated series is more than secure while currently airing its 11th season. The Great North, which he EPs and is co-created by the Molyneux Sisters (with whom Bouchard has dutifully had among his top ranks at Bob’s Burgers) is getting its footing quite nicely as another feel good, yet delightfully and wonderfully strange family comedy.

Now, Central Park, which Bouchard co-created with Josh Gad and Nora Smith, is just about to premiere its second season on Apple’s exclusive streaming service, Apple TV Plus and, officially as of today, has been tapped for a third season. As Loren calculated in a tweet, that renewal equals almost 30 new episodes of the sensational community focused, edu-taining, meta, musical comedy and well over a 100 new songs.

Do yourself a favor if you need a pick me up (even if you’re not a “musicals” person) and give Central Park a shot in your quarantine binge watch queue.

You’ll be able to get into the second season of Central Park and sing along with dozens of songs starting Fri. Jun. 25th.

Seasons 2 and 3 of Central Park mean 29 more episodes, and something like 115 new songs. 115! The people who make this show dazzle me with their talent and ambition and will. Apple and 20th have shown their will too. I’m honored to be a part of something with this much chutzpah.

— loren bouchard (@lorenbouchard) March 10, 2021

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 31: James Austin Johnson vs. Trump

October 28, 2020

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You might have come across the magnificent comedy of James Austin Johnson via one of many spectacular, spot-on, yet absurdly bent Trump impressions, but one ought to know that Johnson has been offering up hysterical flights of absurdist comedy fancy for several years (even some of which was captured on our TCB compilation album). Johnson zooms with TCB’s Jake Kroeger about balancing the forced rest from live comedy due to quarantine, finding his way to being one of the best Trump impressions in all of comedy right now, and maintaining the madcap game show podcast he co-hosts, What Things Are What Things. Also, hot takes on the new Pryor biopic, Cuomo/de Blasio getting sued by small venues, Jon Stewart’s new gig at AppleTV+, and Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm.

Oh, unfortunately, Jake didn’t have hiccups this week because he is recovering quite nicely from his emergency appendectomy.

Follow James Austin Johnson @shrimpjaj on Twitter and Instagram and jamesaustinjohnson.com. Listen/subscribe to What Things Are Things here or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).
Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT

Jon Stewart to Finally Return to Hosting His Own Topical Show at Apple TV+

October 27, 2020

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Jon Stewart handed over the keys to The Daily Show to Trevor Noah in 2015, which many folks found strange considering that’s when Trump was ramping his presidential campaign around then. Stewart took time away from hosting anything or appearing on anything for that matter. There was the occasional cameo on The Late Show with former Daily Show with Jon Stewart correspondent Stephen Colbert, but Stewart has spent the majority of his time with his family, engaging in advocacy for various causes like benefits for first responders, and trying his hand at directing with Rosewater.

Now, at the potential dusk of Trump’s presidency, Jon Stewart is set to return for a brand new series that he will indeed host and EP over at Apple TV+. It’ll be topical, be one hour, and be more broadly focused rather than making fun of cable news as was the nightly mission during his tenure at The Daily Show. Late night and political/topical comedy has vastly grown and changed since Stewart had the reins to his own show, but it will be undoubtedly one of the highest profile returns to TV in recent memory.

As to whether Jon will keep the beard he has maintained since his exit from Comedy Central, that has yet to be announced.

Apple TV+ Gets a Bit of That Bob’s Burgers Magic with Trailer for Loren Bouchard’s Central Park

March 10, 2020

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Unlike Disney+, Apple TV+ hasn’t exactly gotten to ride the coattails of something like The Mandalorian. Perhaps, this super charming musical animated series from beloved Bob’s Burgers creator Loren Bouchard might be the thing to put Apple TV+ on the map.

There are clever songs with animated dance numbers, the comfort and familiarity of Bouchard’s aesthetics from Bob’s Burgers, and even Stanley Tucci voicing an evil 1%-er in the vein of a Captain Planet villain dead set on paving over Central Park to build more NYC high rises. See all of this for yourself in the newly unveiled trailer.

Certainly, we’re very on board to see what Central Park is all about. We’ll look forward to May 29th when it premieres on Apple TV+.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Inks Overall Deal at Apple TV Plus

January 17, 2020

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus Inks Overall Deal at Apple TV Plus

While it’s been a bit of clunky start for Apple TV Plus, this is a huge get for them and we can only hope that Apple makes good on putting their money on Julia Louis-Dreyfus and that Julia will get to EP and star in something(s) that will usher in what could be considered a third golden age of JLD (the other two being Seinfeld and Veep).

Watch Rob McElhenney Become an Ego Maniacal Game Designer in Trailer for “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet”

January 8, 2020

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It’s hard to not watch this trailer for Apple TV+’s new comedy Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet and think of It’s Always in Sunny Philadelphia (it gets posted as a credit) and imagine the episode title reading “Mac Ruins a Video Game Franchise”.

What’ll be interesting to see here is how much of those It’s Always Sunny sensibilities stay intact for this series over at Apple TV+, who we’re sure are doling out big bucks to produce this show and snag the likes of McElhenney and company and are definitely a different beast than FX.

Also, it should be noted that Aparna Nancherla gets to show off how great she plays an apathetic employee once more. Hopefully, that happens plenty during the whole show.

Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet premieres on Apple TV+ on Feb. 7th.

Here’s the Trailer for Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon, and Lee Eisenberg Written “Little America”

December 27, 2019

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For our money, one of the much more intriguing offering from Apple’s streaming service Apple TV Plus is an American immigrant anthology series that will come from the pens of Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon, and Lee Eisenberg (The Office).

Kumail and Emily of course not only were a couple that co-ran The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail for years, but really shot themselves into the spotlight by writing the beautiful and very funny The Big Sick based on how they met.

Little America will follow several different immigrants and their experience in arriving and living in America for all the different sorts of things that could mean and this trailer hints at the series having the sort of the great heartfelt, dramedy vibe of The Big Sick.

See for yourself in the trailer for Little America and then look for it on Apple TV Plus on Jan. 17th.