sam morril – 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

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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.

TCB Debriefing 6/2-6/14/24: Hannah Einbinder, After Midnight, Conner O’Malley, Petey DeAbreu, Pope Visit, Sabrina Brier, John Early, NIAJF Introducing, Sam Morril, Comedy of War, Group Therapy, Ghosts, Carmen Lynch, Liz Miele, Adventure Time, Abbi Jacobson, Palm Royale, Beavis & Butthead, Owen Thiele, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Wallace & Gromit, Animation+, Tim Robinson, Free Eric Andre Tix

1. Every now and again, we’ve gotten to see comedians from their very inception of their career, cutting their teeth at whatever venue that they can possibly find to the storied, yet rarefied success and fame that one would hope for as a stand-up comedian, often reflected by their face and name being plastered on a giant billboard. We’re thrilled that Hannah Einbinder is one such person as we’ve bore witness to some of her earliest sets in the strangest places that had seeds of her undeniable comedic verve and prowess these days on display at a gorgeous El Rey Theatre. Her very first comedy special, HBO’s latest comedy release, Everything Must Go, shows off not only a confident Einbinder that seems like she’s on her third special, but is a very welcome, colorful, agile, and hysterical break (shout out also to director/one of the the Three Busy Debras, Sandy Honig) from the litany of stand-up crowd work videos that seem to be all that the art form has to offer these days. Additionally, Hannah impressively makes a go at tackling critical, current issues, often in a very niche ways, but cleverly devises very layered, nuanced, very fun bits as sugar to make the necessary medicine go down. With that all said, please enjoy Hannah Einbinder: Everything Must Go now streaming on Max.

2. After Midnight officially scored a season 2 (Forbes). That’s not entirely surprising given that the original went for 600 episodes, but we’ll be curious to see if Taylor Tomlinson and co. will get their own original recurring segment that rivals #hashtagwars.

3. Leave it to the imagination (and screaming ability) of the one and only Conner O’Malley to create a definitive satirical comedy special of the zeitgeist that perfectly skewers the intersection of A.I. and comedy and everyone’s anxiety around it. Please enjoy the brilliance of Stand Up Solutions right now if you haven’t done so already. SERIOUSLY, stop reading this and go and watch it. DO IT. One can only hope that this guides a whole new wave of what comedy specials can and should be in the months and years to come.

4. The sheer exuberance and poetry of Petey DeAbreu‘s comedy and vision of NYC should qualify him to be a “comedian laureate of the five boroughs”. If that’s not a thing, let’s make it one. See why with his Don’t Tell set here.

5. From Chris Rock to Seinfeld to Jimmy Fallon to Conan O’Brien to dozens upon dozens of comedians from around the globe (though it should be noted that this includes well over 50 Italian comedians and only one British one, Stephen Merchant) met with Pope Francis this week (via THR). This will be all of their late night stories for the next three to five years.

6. THE TikTok star to watch, Sabrina Brier, is going into the audiobook game with a title that might surprise you, “That Friend” (via Variety).

7. John Early is having yet another banner year with one of the most fun entrances Seth Meyers has had in awhile and going on a tour with his band, The Lemon Squares, that we had previously thought we were only going to get to see in his special Now More Than Ever.

8. Netflix Is a Joke Festival concluded it’s second edition a few weeks ago and, with it, their second round of “Introducing…”, their version of New Faces/Comics to Watch. For our money, keep an eye out on the wondrous and original stylings of Kel Cripe and Mandal.

9. Amazon is placing its latest bets of comedy special money on Sam Morril with You’ve Changed. Wonder what sort of money (or Amazon gift cards) Amazon is shelling out to bring on folks who have Netflix specials on to their side from the streaming giant. From the looks of it, it doesn’t get more classic looking of a comedy special than what Morril has up suit sleeves for this one, especially since it was only a few years ago that he did a rooftop special.

10. As there are comedians in the Ukraine doing comedy during this war with Russia, so comes a documentary of them doing just that, Comedy of War: Laughter in Ukraine. That has to be the first war in history that has had multiple documentary works made of it while it still is very much going on. Take a gander at Comedy of War‘s trailer here, then you can stream it via Comedy Dynamics right now.

11. Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat is doing “Group Therapy” as a comedy show with the likes of Mike Birbiglia, Neil Patrick Harris, Nicole Byer, Tig Notaro, Atsuko Okatsuka, Gary Gulman, and London Hughes. That’s a gala worthy line-up, but something that ought to be undeniably engrossing to watch. Take a gander at Group Therapy here.

12. Ghosts is such a hit for CBS that it’s following in the footsteps of The Office and having a German spin-off (Deadline).

13. Carmen Lynch might be setting a new bar for comedians that started in English and expanded to performing en Español. Get a taste of what that’s like with a trailer for Una Hora de Carmen Lynch here. Watch the whole special here.

14. Liz Miele is the latest comedian to unfairly suffer the wrath of YouTube’s hate speech algorithm. Thankfully, making a video about it has resulted in a reinstatement of ads, which Liz can go on and continue to make money off her self-produced and self-released special, as is the hope of many a comedian these days.

15. FYI, Adventure Time is pretty much getting into the cinematic universe business now (Variety).

16. First, Broad City, then an expansive remake/spin-off of A League of Their Own, and now Abbi Jacobson is getting into an adaptation of a “gender-bending, body switching” story that explores the “nature of true partnership” with Isle McElroy’s People Collide (Deadline). Love Jacobson’s arc of projects here and can’t wait to see where else she goes with it.

17. The creme de la creme of comedy classes will meet again between Kristen Wiig and Carol Burnett since Palm Royale has got a second season (Deadline).

18. The revived Beavis & Butthead scored a third season at Comedy Central (Deadline). A special thanks should go to Heidi Gardner and Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day.

19. There’s another adopted comedy based off the life of actor Owen Thiele in the works (THR). Fingers crossed that it will be more realistic and, thus, less rosy than Trying.

20. Late Night with Seth Meyers will no longer have a house band in just a few months (Variety) and this very well might be the first sign of late night being REALLY reimagined/shaken up/imploding.

21. There will be a Wallace & Gromit holiday movie and, honestly, no one else should even try as that’ll be more than enough adorable humor/adventure for the holiday season (via THR).

22. Hey Millennials, remember when Cartoon Network was the center of your universe? Well, there’s a new streaming service (that has to be your favorite phrase to hear these days, right?), Animation+, looking to fill in that nostalgic void (via The Wrap)

23. Please enjoy Tim Robinson in not a ITYSL sketch (but it kind of is?), but a promo for the new edition of skate. here.

24. Jimmy Fallon will be giggling his way through interviews through 2028 (via Variety).

25. We’ll leave you with this: If you want tix to Eric Andre @ The Bellwether in LA on 7/19, we might know someone. Hit us up.

Please Enjoy Sam Morril’s Return to Corden

February 22, 2022

News

james corden, late late show, sam morril

It was actually not all that long ago that Sam was hopping from rooftop to rooftop in NYC to record a special in the thick of the pandemic. Yet, seeing Sam take the stage once more at The Late Late Show with James Corden makes that reality so far away, just like Sam’s last set on Corden in 2018 seems like eons ago.

That all said, Sam is still a shining example of classic stand-up that’s cut from today’s cloth with a perfected balance of manipulating turns of phrase, dissecting unassuming minutia, and sharp punchlines. It almost, might possibly seem like, perhaps, that comedy is picking up where it left off in 2019/2020?

In any case, you should enjoy another great late night set from Sam here.

Watch Sam Morril Carefully Walk Through the Dark Side on His Latest Conan Set

December 10, 2016

Uncategorized

conan, dark comedy, late night, sam morril, stand up

Sam Morril utilizes his cleverness to weave in and out of dark subject matter with such ease that it almost doesn’t seem like dark comedy.

He put that skill on display in his third stand-up set on Conan from this week.

Watch it here.

Here’s Line-Up for Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle on Comedy Central

July 14, 2016

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anthony jeselnik, brian moses, comedy central, david spade, jeff ross, jimmy carr, jimmy kimmel, mark normand, mike lawrence, ms. pat, olivia grace, ralphie may, roast battle, sam morril, sarah silverman, sarah tiana, steve rannazzisi

This might be the most fun roast that Comedy Central has put on in recent memory.

Going burn-for-burn on the televised Roast Battle, tournament style over four nights from July 28-31 at 10PM on Comedy Central will be:

Jimmy Carr vs. Christi Chiello
Earl Skakel vs. Tom Ballard
Mark Normand vs. Tony Hinchcliffe
Steve Rannazzisi vs. Sam Morril
Ralphie May vs. Ms. Pat
Matthew Broussard vs. Mike Lawrence
Sarah Tiana vs. Chris Cubas
Olivia Grace vs. K. Trevor Wilson

Anthony Jeselnik, Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman and David Spade are all set to judge the contests next to Roastmaster General Jeff Ross along with Brian Moses officiating.

So, you might not want to miss out on this.

Seeso Orders 6th Season of JFL’s “Funny as Hell”

(via Deadline)

You’ll be treated to the stand-up of Cameron Esposito, Eugene Mirman, Janeane Garofalo, Beth Stelling, Aparna Nancherla, Kurt Metzger, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Liza Treyger, the Lucas Brothers, Byron Bowers, Sean Patton, Sam Morril, James Davis, Ian Abramson, Sean Donnelly, Thomas Dale, Ahmed Bharoocha and Emo Philips.

Part of a great comedy cultural exchange between the U.S. and Canada comes around during the JFL Montreal Comedy Festival when JFL also shoots their stand-up showcase series, Funny as Hell.

As past episodes have been streamed plenty on Seeso, Seeso has opted to make the series more known in the States, especially because of its heavy use of U.S. talent, to order a sixth season that’ll offered on NBC’s comedy streaming service.

There will be more names that’ll be added to the series during the festival, but that line-up alone is reason enough to go watch it.

Former Colbert Intern, Sam Morril, Came Full Circle and Did Stand-Up on ‘The Late Show’

April 25, 2016

Uncategorized

late show, sam morril, stand up, stephen colbert

Every once in awhile on late night, you get to see a guest that had once worked for the show that they are now being featured on.

It’s always kind of a beautiful moment that shows everything kind of worked out.

The latest instance of this phenomenon is Sam Morril getting to be the latest comedian to perform stand-up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after being an intern for Colbert several years back.

Watch his set here.