queer comedy – The Comedy Bureau

TCB Debriefing 4/14-4/19/24: The Office, Nikki Glaser, WGA Awards, Hacks, Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution, The Chair Company, David Jonsson

April 19, 2024

chair company, david jonsson, hacks, netflix, nikki glaser, queer comedy, the office, wga awards

1. So, one, the possibility of a new version of The Office from Greg Daniels and Michael Koman is coming closer and closer to fruition and two, this possibly new Office, will star Domnhall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore (Deadline). The enduring popularity of the U.S. iteration of The Office across generations almost definitively makes it more popular than previous sitcom monoliths like Seinfeld and Friends, but one has to wonder if a new Office is going to be like What We Do in the Shadows brilliantly spinning off the movie or more like Joey. The casting of Gleeson and Impacciatore is curious as it feels as though Scranton, PA will not be where this new Office will be set. Are they going back to the UK? Will it be in the EU? Maybe it’ll be in somewhere even more removed (Topeka, KS?). We probably won’t have to wait too long as we’re guessing this will be fast tracked through development.

2. Thank goodness we’re getting a new hour special from Nikki Glaser, who, for our money, has one of the best joke deliveries in comedy today. Coming soon to HBO will be her lovingly titled new hour, Someday You’ll Die, and you can see what we’re saying just in this trailer here. Look for the hour to premiere on HBO on May 11th (and presumably be on Max at the same date).

3. Comedy dominated the WGA Awards (i.e. won outside of the comedy specific categories) this year. The comedy winners are as follows:

Comedy Series–The Bear

Original Screenplay-The Holdovers

Adapted Screenplay-American Fiction

Episodic Comedy–Poker Face

Comedy Variety/Talk Series–Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Comedy Variety/Sketch Series–I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson

Comedy/Variety Special–Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love

Animation-The Simpsons

TV & New Media Motion Pictures-Quiz Lady

Thank goodness I Think You Should Leave is finally getting its due. See the full list of winners here.

4. One of the best comedies about stand-up comedy in quite some time, Hacks, with award worthy turns from Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder is finally returning for its third season. Behold its first trailer here, then look for .

5. Netflix is starting the corporate push for Pride Month early with the trailer for their doc about queer comedy pioneers, Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution, due out Jun. 18th. Take a gander at what will be important stories/history lessons from Todd Glass, Margaret Cho, Guy Branum, Bob the Drag Queen, and so many more here.

6. We were already sold on Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s HBO project, The Chair Company, by virtue of the fact that Robinson and Kanin, but this pilot has gotten even more intriguing with the addition of frequent John Early/Kate Berlant collaborator Andrew DeYoung coming on to direct and EP (Deadline).

7. From the ultra charming Rye Lane to making his very own show, things are coming up David Jonsson (Deadline).

8. We’ll leave you with this: Maybe Rob Schneider isn’t for anyone?

Ashley Gavin’s Makes Herself Known as a Great Comedian, No Other Adjectives Needed, with Debut Special “Live in Chicago”

May 11, 2023

News

ashley gavin, comedy special, don't tell comedy, queer comedy, stand up comedy

Almost every single comedian strives to be funny for being funny, no qualifiers needed. That goal is almost self-evident to the art form, especially given its requirement of an audience to laugh at the comedic work being presented on stage. At the same time, there is an ever-evolving conversation surrounding identity in comedy, the privilege, access, and the marginalization that can come of it, sometimes all three at once.

On top of effortlessly delivering a keenly crafted, clever hour of material, rising stand-up star Ashley Gavin really digs deep into this crossroads of the many precarious facets of who one can be as a comedian in her debut special, Ashley Gavin: Live in Chicago. More explicitly, Gavin ponders the success she has gained for being a brash, but gregarious lesbian on stage, but speaking to the truth that she is more than just her lesbian jokes (hence the presence of more solid 9/11 material than you’ve heard in a long, long time). The meta analysis of comedy and its reception in one’s own special is perhaps, going from a trend to movement (see Joel Kim Booster and Andrew Santino’s latest specials).

In the hopes that comedy, especially stand-up comedy, could ever be a meritocracy, Gavin has earned her comedy stripes. She has worked the road for years, played cruise ships (one of the most tedious gigs in comedy), had to tone herself down in so many different ways, etc. all while building an audience and honing her comedic voice. Throughout Live in Chicago, it’s undeniable that Gavin has seasoned veteran comedy chops and has found her own unique, oblique angles for her observations and perspective. Given the material, she almost dares the viewer to tag her as a “9/11 comedian” versus a “lesbian comedian”, when she just wants to explicitly be a beloved comedian.

For what our word is worth, she very much achieves that goal and does so in her very first special.

Ashley Gavin: Live in Chicago is streaming now for free, at your convenience on YouTube.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 141: Sammy Mowrey & The Non Binary Side of the Comedy

December 7, 2022

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

caroline's, non binary, queer comedy, sammy mowrey

While older, stodgier comedians (some of whom just came out with a Netflix special this week) will get hung up on pronouns, there is an ever burgeoning crowd of Non-binary comedians that eschew the gender binary and, consequently, have the best jokes about using they/them. Sammy Mowrey is a bright and shining example of this as they have carved out their place in LA comedy between a handful of their own shows and their acutely, hilarious observed world view when it comes to being Non-binary, Bipolar, and wanting to have their own sitcom (multi-cam or single-cam). We talk with Sammy about how exactly it is to be Non-binary in comedy in 2022 and what might lie in the future for them.

Also, “hot” takes on Caroline’s on Broadway closing and The Daily Show’s upcoming stable of fill-in hosts.

Follow Sammy @sammymowrey and Permanent Vacation @permanentvacaycomedy

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
Photo by John Michael Bond

The World Is Getting a Taste of Comedy at Club Cumming in Upcoming Showtime Special

August 23, 2022

News

alan cumming, club cumming, queer comedy, showtime

While denizens all around NYC have gathered to a hallowed spot in Alphabet City known as Club Cumming for several years now to see many of NYC’s queer comedy trailblazers, there are billions of folks who have not had the true pleasure of getting to see why such a long, dark bar gets packed to gills so often.

Thanks to Showtime, such an opportunity is coming around with the beloved Alan Cumming debuting a showcase special of his absolute favorites that grace the Club Cumming stage. Called Club Cumming Presents a Queer Comedy Extravaganza, the likes of Joe Castle Baker, Julia Shiplett, duo Zach Teague & Drew Lausch, Nori Reed, Pat Regan, and Larry Owens will be featured. If you don’t already know these names after following us for awhile, we hope you remedy that and watch these hysterical folks on this special that begins streaming on Showtime on Fri. Sept. 2nd

Get a great taste of what’s to come here.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 113: Cara Connors & Your First Nationwide Tour

May 25, 2022

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

cara connors, chappelle, queer comedy, ricky gervais, stand up comedy

The prospect of doing your first nationwide tour as a comedian is as thrilling as it can be daunting. So much of it is a mystery that you can’t really prepare for ahead of time. That said, to actually play to folks that specifically came to see you across the country is part of the electrifying feeling of doing comedy that makes up for all the other numerous hardships you go through in trying to make a living through comedy.

Cara Connors just embarked on a successful first run across the U.S. and is actually extending her Straight For Pay tour with additional dates. Connors talks us through the whirlwind you’re required to go through when on your first tour as well as her feelings on where she fits in as a comedian that is queer and the ever changing landscape of what might be one of the more fluid art forms out there.

Also, yes, oof, we talk about Gervais’ unsurprisingly controversial special and Chappelle’s attacker at The Hollywood Bowl, Isaiah Lee.

Follow Cara @caraconnscomedy on IG

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

Pick of the Day: Justin Elizabeth Sayre: Assorted Fruit (in NYC) 2/20

January 5, 2022

News

joe's pub, justin sayre, nyc comedy, queer comedy, variety show

While The Grammys just got shuddered again by COVID-19, it’s very likely that you’ll still be able to enjoy the whimsically refined comedic stylings of Justin Elizabeth Sayre. They’ve been one of our favorite folks to weave something equally bewitching and hilarious ever since we chanced upon catching them at UnCabaret years ago.

So, they’ll be at the helm of NYC”s latest queer variety show called Assorted Fruit! that we trust that Justin will curate with masterful taste. It’ll live at the beloved Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater in NYC and start off on Sun. Feb. 20th at 9:30PM ET with the queer splendor of Charlene Incarnate, Jon-Michael Reese, and more.

Tickets are $25 and you really ought to go get them here. Please note that proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or negative COVID-19 test no older than 72 hours are required.