How to Die Alone – The Comedy Bureau

TCB Debriefing 7/21-8/10: Roy Wood Jr. on CNN, Inside Out TV Series, Saturday Night Trailer+++

1. Roy Wood Jr. will be hosting his own topical panel show on, not Comedy Central, but CNN with Have I Got News For You. While The Daily Show did get Jon Stewart back, there is an unmistakable feeling that they missed out here.

2. Disney’s own version of Comic Con, D23, is this weekend and the big takeaway is that Mickey and company will be sticking with their big hits from Pixar in the form of an Inside Out series, another sequel to The Incredibles, and another sequel to Toy Story (which begs the question how much more existential crises can they explore through the nature of sentient toys).

3. Let’s call that a take 2 on Studio 60, but this time, from Jason Reitman that actually tackles the origin story of SNL head on (and it looks pretty damn great). Take a gander at the trailer for Saturday Night here, then look for it in theaters come Oct. 11th.

4. Adam Sandler took a big leap into the Safdie Brothers’ world when diving into Uncut Gems, and Josh Safdie is returning the favor by directing Sandler’s latest stand-up special, Love You (take a look at the trailer here). Let’s see if this leads to a Safdie Brothers slapstick comedy. Love You will hit Netflix later this month on Aug. 27th.

5. The High Plains Comedy Festival in Denver, CO is still one of the very best comedy festivals around (and is coming up soon on Sept. 19th-21st). Peep their first line-up announcement! THEN, go get your fest passes here.

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6. Given how truly insane the winds of change feels these days, a wave of absurdism/non-sequitur/unapologetic deconstructionist satire in a comedy special (as opposed to more litanies of crowd-work-fueled comedy specials) feels more than needed. Fortunately, Carmen Christopher has come through with his latest and very hilarious special Live from the Windy City that serves up many shots of all those ingredients in addition to thankfully showcasing Christopher’s stand up chops in a non-COVID-socially-distanced setting. If you’re any level of fan of I Think You Should Leave, you might recognized Carmen from a sketch or two and, as such, you’re really going to dig Live from the Windy City (after all, Tim Robinson does have his name attached to this special). Live from the Windy City is now streaming on VEEPS and you can (and should) stream it here.

7. While Abbott Elementary has the hearts and minds of America’s primetime viewing audience, FX is giving the high school work place comedy its own treatment with English Teacher from Brian Jordan Alvarez (that seems to have the same very satisfying bite that Election had over 20 years ago). Also, Sean Patton as Markie might be TV’s latest scene stealer. See for yourself with the trailer here, then look for the premiere on FX/Hulu on Sept. 2nd.

8. James Adomian, who voices many of your favorite adult animated series, is one of comedy’s best minds and voices and has been for years now. Thankfully, his very first hour special is due out on 800 Pound Gorilla on Aug. 16th and then, for everyone, on Sept. 19th. Please enjoy his retro comedy special trailer for Path of Most Resistance here.

9. After having some of the very best moments in season 1 of White Lotus, Natasha Rothwell is taking center stage with her very own series How to Die Alone, a comedy following a carpe-diem-turn for a woman who is afraid to fly, but works an airport. See what Natasha has up her sleeve with the trailer for How To Die Alone here, then look for it exclusively on Hulu come Sept. 13th.

10. Both Punkie Johnson and Molly Kearney are leaving SNL, which means the new cast announcement for the next season might be big (and plenty diverse).

11. Ramy Youssef has signed a first look deal with Netflix, which is yet another step for the rising comedy star. Note that this doesn’t mean he has the answer to achieving peace in the Middle East (only great jokes about it).

12. Quinta Brunson and Stephanie Hsu are teaming up on a comedy feature for Universal. No plot details are available at this time, which leaves us to assume that it’s about a multiverse of public schools that also don’t have enough funding.

13. It’s about time there was a Mitch Hedberg documentary especially considering that he set an intention of telling jokes without references so he could be timeless. Keep an eye out for this doc from 222-2222 Films.

13. While Chloe Radcliffe is in Edinburgh right now racking up well deserved acclaimed for her marvelous solo show, CHEAT, let’s not forget that Chloe is really damn good at stand-up. See her Don’t Tell set here for proof.

14. Not only is the fifth season of Solar Opposites around the corner (Aug. 12th on Hulu) and it just got renewed for another season, but it seems as any lingering controversy with Justin Roiland’s exit is well in the rear view mirror. All looks like a well oiled machine in this trailer for the new season.

15. In addition to Sam Morril making his Amazon debut with his brand spankin’ new special You’ve Changed, there’s, essentially, a bonus track of crowd work/material available exclusively on newly forged comedian streaming platform PunchUp called “Buying Drinks”. If you loved Sam’s rooftop stuff, you’ll love this.

16. In addition to doing a sharply honed high school comedy, it would seem FX is angling on a Gen-Z version of Friends with their new series, Snowflakes. Shout out to comedian Malik Elassal has is kind of having a banner year in 2024.

17. We don’t know how many seasons What We Do In the Shadows will ultimately go, but thank goodness Danny McBride is getting to work on adapting his own vampire comedy from Grady Hendrix’s book The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.

18. While a return to pure comedy might seem unlikely for acclaimed horror director Jordan Peele, him taking on prank series Scare Tactics is a welcome dip back into comedy. Look for Peele to possibly revolutionize prank shows later this Fall on USA Network.

19. We’ll leave you with this: Free tickets to John Early @ The Bellwether on 9/17 anyone? Yes? Hit us up at thecomedybureau@gmail.com and we’ll see if we can hook you up.

TCB Debriefing 6/25/24-7/6/24: Brad Howe, Comedy Central, Scam Goddess, Good Cop Great Cop, Bando Stone and the New World, My Old Ass, Martin Mull, How to Die Alone, Jillian Bell, Jiminy Glick, Sam Morril, Wolves of Glendale, Fox Writers Incubator, Richard Lewis

July 6, 2024

News

Bando Stone and the New World, Brad Howe, comedy central, Fox Writers Incubator, good cop great cop, How to Die Alone, jillian bell, jiminy glick, martin mull, My Old Ass, richard lewis, sam morril, Scam Goddess, wolves of glendale

1. Brad Howe came out with one of the weirdest, out-of-left-field, yet still delightful specials of 2024 (and that’s in a year with conceptual/alternative stand-up specials from Conner O’Malley and Hannah Einbinder). Live at the Legion lives in a sort of cinematic universe unto itself where Brad Howe is a townie attempting to make a comedy special at his local American Legion post. More of an extended sketch special than stand-up, the bickering between this version of Howe and the bar flies at the Legion is pretty damn fun and a wild reimagining of what a comedy special could and should be. Please enjoy Brad Howe: Live at the Legion here.

2. Comedy Central‘s website has been sunsetted as part of a move by Paramount to cut their losses (TVLine), which feels like Comedy Central’s days as a channel/network might be numbered. In fact, saying that is even strange in the era of streaming as it’s hard to say that a bunch of folks tune into Comedy Central rather than watch clips of The Daily Show on YouTube or stream Comedy Central content on Paramount+.

3. Laci Mosley‘s Scam Goddess is getting adapted for TV (Deadline). Fingers crossed that a long overdue year of Laci/Scam Goddess is coming very, very soon.

4. Good Cop Great Cop, one of our favorite sketch groups, is finally back and has found a video game that’s so much “deeper” than The Last of Us. Please enjoy it here.

5. Donald Glover‘s turn to comedic action/adventure is a more than refreshing update to a genre that, so far, is more Donald making his mark in genre flicks than trying to fit himself into a rigid box of Star Wars, criminal underworld, or, in the case of his latest movie, Bando & The New World, a post-apocalyptic creatures-feature. See how fun an ill-prepared pop star is in surviving annihilation with the trailer for Bando Stone and the New World here.

6. So many pull quotes for My Old Ass (written and directed by Megan Park) herald it as the coming age of comedy of this generation. Take a gander with the first trailer here with yet another perfect role for Aubrey Plaza and what looks to be star making movie for Maisy Stella. Whether or not My Old Ass will be a definitive coming-of-age comedy has yet to be seen, but we’ll bet that it’ll age better than Superbad.

7. R.I.P. Martin Mull AKA Gene Parmesan (and the perfect character actor in pretty much, well, everything–just check his filmography here), 1943-2024.

8. Onyx Collective made a lot of noise with UnPrisoned and are looking for another hit with their next comedy How To Die Alone, a series from and created by and starring Natasha Rothwell. Rothwell will play an JFK airport employee who goes from a near death experience to living life to fullest (so, kind of a spiritual sequel to her character on White Lotus).

9. Jillian Bell, who has been killing it in every role she’s had over the last few years including her star turn in Brittany Runs a Marathon, is going to make her directorial debut with Summer of 69 (Deadline). If there’s someone to make a coming-of-age comedy to remember, it might be Bell.

10. Jiminy Glick vs. Gil Faizon should be something that happens as evidenced by Nick Kroll try to be more ridiculous than Martin Short as Glick on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Watch and enjoy it here.

11. Classical style stand up is alive and well, complete with sharply cut suit and finely honed punchlines. Take a gander at the trailer for Sam Morril‘s latest hour special, You’ve Changed, here. Look for it on Amazon Prime come July 9th.

12. There might not be sweeter harmonies paired with more absurd premises and lyrics than the songs of Wolves of Glendale. Witness this claim in action for yourself on their Scorpion Train Tour between the US and the UK spanning the rest of the year. Dates/cities/tickets here.

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13.. Congrats to Ronald Metellus and Kirsten Rezazadeh-Jacob for scoring the comedic spots on the Fox Writers’ Incubators (Deadline). Fingers crossed that this will result in a resurgence in strange comedies on Fox.

14. We’ll leave you with this: Want free tix to David Cross @ The Bellwether in LA on 9/21? Let us know and we just might be able to book you up.