hbo max – The Comedy Bureau

Pick of the Day: Phoebe Robinson HBO Special Taping (in NYC) 8/13

July 15, 2021

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As live comedy is returning to some of the pace and volume that it used to be, so are exclusive tapings of comedy specials for big time networks and streaming services (and it won’t be something unprecedented like a drive-in or sitting at a converted part of Universal Studios).

The latest high profile special that will be taped will feature Phoebe Robinson, whom you ought to know from 2 Dope Queens/Doing the Most/Tiny Rep Books/guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, for HBO Max. Robinson will be bringing her first hour filled with her hot takes on the world that are equal parts sharp and bubbly to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden on Fri. Aug. 13th for two shows, 8PM ET & 10PM ET.

Best of all, tickets are free and you best go RSVP for them right here right now.

Frankie Quiñones’ Special “Superhomies” Will Premiere on HBO Latino on July 9th

June 29, 2021

News

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Whether it be from Creeper, Dress Up Gang, or his own stand-up, Frankie Quiñones has gotten folks to bust up almost every which way he can. Thankfully, he has his very own comedy special (that is frankly overdue) coming out very soon.

Frankie Quiñones: Superhomies will be a mix of stand-up, characters, and sketch that’ll be giving you all that Frankie has to give. It’s set for its debut on Fri. Jul. 9th at 10PM on HBO Latino (and it will stream on HBO Max too). Frankie was already on such a rise before lockdown and we’re really glad to see that he’s pretty much picking up right from where he left off.

Get your first look at Frankie Quiñones: Superhomies here

Please Enjoy Ashley Ray’s Set on HBO Max’s Human By Orientation Series for Pride Month

June 21, 2021

News

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As a show of support, HBO Max is lifting up the voices of queer people of all backgrounds via their Human By Orientation series for the month of June.

One of the things that they did for said series was put some of the best queer comedians that need to be spotlighted, put them on a rooftop that has the DTLA skyline in the background, and have them do a set. One of those comedians is Ashley Ray, who put on such a delightful set (in spite of coming out of quarantine and having this do that on a somewhat breezy LA evening) focused on how hard it is to be a saint on all fronts these days.

Since there seems to be way less stand-up on late night and less places for short stand-up sets to live with the branding of a major network or streaming service (i.e. less opportunity for up and comedians to get discovered on big platforms that used to have way more comedy), we’re glad to see HBO Max highlighting queer comedians with Human By Orientation and we hope that they keep it up.

Please watch Ashley Ray’s HBO Max set here.

Conan O’Brien to Have His Final Show on TBS on Jun. 24th

May 4, 2021

News

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Even though Conan O’Brien is undoubtedly the elder statesman of late night, he still very much is the rambunctious, risk taking innovator that he has always been through decades as a late night talk show host.

He has consistently pushed the boundaries where so many other late night hosts follow and, in that spirit, Conan has never forsaken the Team Coco faithful. His renowned remote segments, the growing podcast empire, and Conan’s penchant for not being very good at video games have all found Conan, for our money, ahead of the curve.

So, it doesn’t entirely surprise us that he’s doing something new by closing up shop at TBS and then doing something more sketch based and less like the tried and true late night format at HBO Max. For those who absolutely loved Conan on TBS, know that there are still upcoming Conan Without Borders specials in the pipeline at TBS. We’re not exactly sure what lies ahead for Conan at HBO Max, but we hope that it has the same sort of controlled chaos that is dyed in the wool of pretty much everything Conan O’Brien does.

The dovetailing of Conan on TBS has already begun as the final episode date has been scheduled for Thurs. Jun. 24th and O’Brien announced that they’ll be taking a long stroll down the 11 year long memory lane of his time on basic cable.

We have a feeling that this might be the dovetailing of an era of late night itself and the format originated back in the original Tonight Show/Steve Allen days might just becoming to an end as shows Desus & Mero and Last Week Tonight keep ascending in popularity. Truly, we’re excited to find out what that future looks like.

Watch Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder Square Off/Come Together as a Comedy Legend and Up and Comer in “Hacks” Trailer

April 28, 2021

News

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While the premise of distant generations of comedy coming together as a sitcom has been tried before with the likes of The Comedians (Billy Crystal and Josh Gad), Late Night (Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling) and the ill-fated Mulaney (Martin Short and John Mulaney, the latest attempt at it seems like it may succeed where these others have perhaps come up short.

Hacks, from the minds of Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky, brings together pioneering comedian and “Queen of Vegas” Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and a feisty, whipsmart up-and-comer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) who is tasked with writing jokes for her and making her relevant. The trailer, which just got posted today, promises something very biting and, especially if you just watched Hysterical on FX or Hulu, rings true to women’s journey in trying to make it in comedy both in yesteryear and right at this very moment. Also, we have a sneaking suspicion that Smart and Einbinder have hilariously fiery chemistry, which ought to make Hacks the latest thing to binge watch.

See for yourself here, then look for Hacks on HBO Max, starting May 13th.

Shiva Baby Was So Good, Writer/Director Emma Seligman Is Developing Sugar Baby Series with Adam McKay

April 9, 2021

News

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(via Deadline)

It has been a week since the official release of the dark, satirical comedy Shiva Baby and not only is earning bountiful praise, but it’s garnering more interest for projects from the mind of Emma Seligman, the film’s writer and director.

Specifically, Adam McKay has teamed up with Seligman to develop a series on being a “sugar baby”, a core element of Shiva Baby, over at HBO. The whipsmart-ness of Seligman’s sensibilities were a more than refreshing arrival to the growing mountain of content that’s available to us all that we felt compelled to watch as the pandemic is still very much not over yet. The juxtaposing of the bisexual triangle with Rachel Sennott playing a “sugar baby” all at a shiva was so deftly handled with the the awkward hysterics being turned all the way up from the very first moment to the last.

Seligman’s voice deserves to be heard way more loudly and way more often as evidenced by all the great noise that has come with the release of Shiva Baby. An HBO series following the world of “sugar babies” is a great place to start (especially with McKay who has seemingly been dead set on making political satires like Vice) and we can’t wait to see both the series and what else it will inevitably lead to.

Oh yeah, let’s not forget that Seligman and Shiva Baby star Rachel Sennott are already working on another movie, a juicy lesbian comedy together, Bottoms, too.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 54: Lizzy Cooperman & Envisioning Reality

April 7, 2021

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

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Lizzy Cooperman remains a monumental comedian in our formative years of comedy even before The Comedy Bureau ever came into existence. The wide expanse of her creativity, her beautiful spirit, and her reverence for comedy is something we have always been inspired by and those things are still alive and well while in quarantine and leaving LA for a spell. TCB’s Jake Kroeger delves into what Lizzy has been pouring her energy into in this time as a comedian who is severely immunocompromised and what she is pondering of doing in what is still, unfortunately, a still very unsure future. Also, we actually do speed through the news/”hot” takes this time on Paul Feig’s Minx, SAG Awards winners, and Gutfeld!

Follow Lizzy @lizzycooperman on IG and Twitter and get her remarkable album Organism wherever you get your comedy albums.

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

A What We Do In The Shadows Spin-Off “Wellington Paranormal” Returns To Where It All Started, New Zealand

March 24, 2021

News

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(via Deadline)

If you have followed us for any amount of time, we make no secret about our deep love and affinity for What We Do In The Shadows. Both the 2014 movie and the hit FX series are some of the funniest pieces of comedy to be committed to screen in recent memory. Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement have made, what we believe, a foundational comedy franchise in this era of comedy defined by its own meta-textuality as well as managing to stand out in the increasingly crowded TV field in this ongoing, new Golden Era of television.

The original movie took place in New Zealand and the series followed a new unlikely bunch of vampires all the way to Staten Island. The success of the film led to the adaptation for TV for American audiences and now, that has excitingly led to a new spin-off series from Waititi and Clement that will take the What We Do in the Shadows universe back to NZ, but will air on the CW and then stream on HBO Max right after. This brand new spin-off, Wellington Paranormal, will harken from the movie following those very same police officers in Wellington, New Zealand that unfortunately are beset with the responsibility of having to deal with supernatural hijinks perpetrated by vampires, werewolves, witches, etc. while trying to just get by.

So, What We Do In The Shadows didn’t get nearly the amount of recognition it deserves this awards season thus far, but this expansion of the WWDITS universe might make up for it.

The Second Season of A Black Lady Sketch Show Is Just a Few Weeks Away

March 23, 2021

News

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Though the arrival of COVID-19 in America immediately halted production on the second season of A Black Lady Sketch Show, Robin Thede has found her way through picking back up to finish that second season in 2021 and having it set to premiere on April 23rd.

This actually might mark the first non-live sketch comedy series to return from the before times. Plenty of late night shows have done various bits and sketches (and SNL has paid audience members in order to tape episodes in studio), but there has been a long dry spell for scripted, non-live-broadcast sketch comedy for however long the last year has been.

See the season 2 announcement teaser for A Black Lady Sketch Show here, then look for new episodes starting Fri. Apr. 23rd.

Issa Rae Continues Building Her Empire with Newly Ordered “Rap Sh*t”

February 12, 2021

News

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(via Deadline)

Between having a critically acclaimed dramedy series at HBO, Insecure, entering its fifth season, your own management banner, ColorCreative, running your record label, Raedio, repping the NBA playoffs last year in their first promos since lockdown started, starring in big time comedies, hosting SNL, co-owning a beauty brand, and, very likely, more that we’re simply forgetting, Issa Rae very much has her own empire that she has built from the ground up.

You can add another HBO Max series (sidebar: Is everything HBO releases during the pandemic going to be branded with HBO Max instead of HBO?) to that empire as Rap Sh*t just got a series order. Rae herself is set to write the pilot as if she wasn’t doing enough already. The show will follow old high school friends reuniting to form a rap group, which will be a pretty great canvas for Rae if you remember moments like Broken Pussy from Insecure.

No one has been cast yet, but Rap Sh*t is set to start shooting in the summer. You can rest easy with whatever happens in the next season of Insecure knowing that this Rae series is also coming relatively soon.

Search Party Season 4 Has Set the Bar for TV Comedy in 2021

January 25, 2021

News

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It can be argued that we’re in strange, yet slightly familiar territory just a few weeks into 2021. Biden has succeeded Trump as POTUS and, while there are signs of Biden picking up where Obama left off, the threats of the ongoing pandemic and economic crises are keeping things plenty off-kilter.

Yes, there are very likely spoilers here, FYI.

In a similar vein, Search Party has gotten six episodes into its fourth season, now at HBO Max instead of TBS, and has lifted its own formula, turned it inside out, and really swung for the fences in how outlandish, dark, and absolutely, unapologetically absurd it’s willing to get (having Dory now go missing and being kept captive in a padded wall version of her apartment kept permanently lit for daytime). For that, it has unquestionably come out the gate for 2021 as the best comedy series thus far (and it’s going to be pretty hard to top).

The balance of the sinister kidnapping of Dory by Cole Escola’s brilliantly demented Chip and how satisfyingly ridiculous every single character is in the series (especially John Early’s Elliott Goss, both in attire and character arc as a turncoat conservative sellout) is something we’re left in awe of. Following the B-story of a mini-series adaptation of the events of the first three seasons Search Party with Meredith Hagner’s Portia playing Dory within these season 4 episodes ratchets up the hysterical bizarreness of the whole world even further. Often, you might be left breathless for how the show deftly shifts its tones, even better and more acutely than it has in the past, and how so much of the dialogue is so brashly funny.

It’s very clear that we’re still in dark times, but there are peculiar bits of light here and there and, for our money, this latest season of Search Party meets the moment we’re still stuck in and, most importantly, gives us something really damn good to watch on TV while quarantine continues.

Six episodes of S4 of Search Party are currently streaming on HBO Max and the final four are due out on Thurs. Jan. 28th.

See the Full Extent of Cole Escola’s Stalker/Captor in Season 4 of Search Party

January 5, 2021

News

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Just a week and a change from now, we’ll get another season of the hit thriller/dramedy Search Party and embark on a search for Dory who entangled everyone into searching in the first place.

Part of the reason that Dory is the subject of the search for this new season is that (we’d say SPOILER here, but watching the trailer for this season will also somewhat spoil the last three seasons, so there you go) she has been kidnapped by a deranged stalker played by the brilliant Cole Escola. This full season 4 trailer reveals a bit of how much Dory is in trouble (and maybe getting her comeuppance?)

We’re really looking forward to a few more of hours of lockdown being spent with Elliott, Drew, Portia, and Dory starting on Jan. 14th at HBO Max.

Search Party Season 4 Finally Has a Teaser

December 15, 2020

News

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Quarantine has lasted so long that we almost forgot a brand new season of the amazing dark comedy thriller series, Search Party, was on the horizon. It’s not on TBS anymore, so you’ll have to have HBO Max or “have access” to HBO Max, but the prospect of Dory now missing for this latest season has us really jonesing for this fourth season of Search Party to premiere already.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until Thurs. Jan. 14th, 2021 until we get our Search Party fix. Until now, we can obsess over this teaser that poses a whole new game for Elliott, Portia, Drew, and a Dory that might just be getting her long overdue comeuppance.

Conan O’Brien to End Late Night Talk Show in 2021, Start Weekly Variety Series at HBO Max, Continue Conan Without Borders at TBS

November 17, 2020

News

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The elder statesman of late night, Conan O’Brien is actually stepping away from the world of late night after nearly 30 years of being one of late night’s best voices. Announced today, O’Brien will end his run as a late night talk show host that spans Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, and now, Conan on TBS, in June 2021.

“In 1993 Johnny Carson gave me the best advice of my career: ‘As soon as possible, get to a streaming platform.’ I’m thrilled that I get to continue doing whatever the hell it is I do on HBO Max, and I look forward to a free subscription,” says O’Brien.

If you’re already lamenting his exit, do know that so many of the best elements of all of his shows over the last several years will live on. Conan Without Borders, O’Brien’s global travel specials will continue to be made over at TBS and Conan will also embark on a new weekly variety series. We’d guess will feature so many of the bits, stand-ups, remote segments and more that have made Conan endure all these decades as one of late night’s best. So, Conan O’Brien will very much be continuing to do so much of what he does best.

Personally, we can’t wait to see what Conan will do with the freedom of being on a streaming platform like HBO Max as well as where else he’ll travel to for the travel Conan Without Borders specials.

Here’s Your First Look at Colin Quinn’s Drive-In Showcase Special “Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show”

November 10, 2020

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As drive-in shows were one of the first and only things that were afforded to live comedy in the pandemic, it was inevitable that there would be comedy specials produced from it. So much overhead goes into producing a drive-in show anyway that it only stands to reason that they would shoot the performance and try to do something with it.

Indeed, drive-in stand-up comedy specials are coming. Comedy Dynamics has a handful of them and then there’s Colin Quinn’s showcase of his favorite comics performing at a drive-in in Brooklyn. It’s aptly named Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show, perhaps highlighting how far live comedy has had to adapt in order to get some sense of normalcy (i.e. not doing stand-up on Zoom).

Today, Quinn released a trailer and gave us all the first look of Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show that will feature performances from Sam Jay, Marina Franklin, Dan Soder, Bonnie McFarlane, Chris DiStefano, Rich Vos, Robert Kelly, and, of course Colin Quinn himself.

If you haven’t been to a drive-in stand-up show (they are pretty expensive), you’ll get a taste of the history that has been made this year of comedians, very likely for the first time ever in history, performing to people in their cars who resort to honking and flashing their headlights to, hopefully, show appreciation for a bit.

Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show premieres on HBO Max this Thursday, Nov. 12th.

Can’t believe I accidentally leaked this trailer. “Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show” premiering this Thursday only on @hbomax pic.twitter.com/qEzNpQbv5k

— Colin Quinn (@iamcolinquinn) November 9, 2020

TCB Field Report Ep. 32: Chris Estrada & Making the Most Out of 2020

November 4, 2020

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

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LA scene favorite Chris Estrada was poised for a great 2020 before the pandemic took hold. Now, 8 months into lockdown, Estrada is, thankfully, still getting some great things that he deserves coming his way like a HBO Latino Entre Nos special premiering later this month. Estrada zooms with TCB’s Jake Kroeger about weathering the world throughout this year and keeping the flame of his comedy alive whether it be on Zoom, at an outdoors comedy show, or on his first stand-up special. Also, they dish “hot” takes on new series developments at ABC, Showtime, and Fox as well as representation for Latinx in comedy and the label of Latinx itself.

Follow Chris @chrisestrada85 on Twitter and @chrisestradacomic on IG.

Shout-outs: Bless The Harts, Bill Burr: Paper Tiger, Sam Jay: 3 in the Morning, and How To with John Wilson

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

Tiny Toons To Be Revived as “Tiny Toons Looniversity” with Erin Gibson as Showrunner

October 28, 2020

News

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(via THR)

While reviving animated IP is a very predictable trend (especially while live action series keep getting tripped by pauses due to COVID-19 outbreaks along with an increase in scheduling and budgetary issues), the prospect of the return of the Tiny Toons, a somewhat niche branch of the Looney Tunes animated universe, with someone like Erin Gibson at the helm is very surprising and enticing to us.

Gibson has not only been the co-host of one of the more beloved podcasts around, Throwing Shade, but has always been an incredibly clever, outspoken, subversive writer, comedian, and performer all the way back to when she used to play Michele Bachman in Funny or Die sketches.

Gibson has placed as showrunner and co-EP with Adventure Time’s Nate Cash for this new edition of Tiny Toons, Tiny Toons: Looniversity wherein the Tiny Toons gang will learn how to become “professional” toons. Both HBO Max and Cartoon Network ordered the series, but as to which will platform will get “dibs” or however it’ll work is TBD.

In any case, we have a feeling, because of who is in charge, that this might be another animated series that is initially geared towards children, but will have plenty to enjoy that’s just for the adults as well. That’ll be important since we are still stuck inside because of the pandemic and will still be for quite some time to come.

Sam Jay Is Getting Her Own HBO Late Night Talk Show

September 29, 2020

News

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We’ve said it before in so many ways and it bears repeating again: When it comes to voices in comedy being truly unfiltered, brash, honest, and hilarious, Sam Jay is one of the best around right now. So, we think it’s a great move on HBO’s part to give Sam her very own half-hour late night talk show where she’ll get to do her take on the world.

Per the premium cable network’s announcement today:

The UNTITLED SAM JAY PROJECT will be a weekly 30-minute late-night show in which Sam tackles the top trending topics in urban and world culture for the week – including race, politics, sexual identity, science, celebrity, religion, and more – and examines them from her unique and subversive point of view.

One can see from Sam’s Netflix special 3 in the Morning or even a recent appearance on Why Won’t You Date Me? with Nicole Byer that Jay’s show/perspective is something very special and unlike anything that has been or is currently on in late night.

Look for Sam’s show to premiere next year on HBO and HBO Max.

Get a Peek at “How To with John Wilson” the Latest Project/Scheme/Show Nathan Fielder Is Involved In

September 16, 2020

News

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Since the end of Nathan For You, millions of folks have been wondering what will be the next thing from the hysterically enigmatic Nathan Fielder that we all can obsess over. Sure, he’s fought anti-semitism via his outerwear company Summit Ice, but the next show that Fielder devises is what the general public is looking for.

Well, that time is just about here as How To with John Wilson is coming to HBO on Oct. 23rd at 11PM. The docu-series follows one John Wilson showing all of us how to navigate such a complex, often baffling city like NYC. Fielder is serving as executive producer on the series and that assuredly means that there will be plenty of twists and some sort of blurring between comedy and performance art.

From the looks of this teaser, there is a bit of Joe Pera Talks With You energy present here, but something tells us that there’s more sly subterfuge here and, like Nathan For You, it would appear that titular John Wilson is dealing with real referee supply store sales people, furniture cover specialists, etc.

Perhaps we’ll get a full trailer that will give us a bit more of a hint as what Wilson and Fielder have up their sleeve. If not, honestly, that’s fine too as it seems potentially very rewarding to keep the mystery up for as long as possible until the premiere.

Mo Welch’s Comic Strip “Blair” Sold to HBO Max

September 3, 2020

News

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(via Deadline)

For years, the very funny Mo Welch has not only dazzled stages with her stand-up, but she has also made a comic strip that she’s posted online called “Blair”, centered on Blair, an “antisocial icon”. Welch has even put a book together from the comic called, How to Die Alone: The Foolproof Guide to Not Helping Yourself.

Now, Welch is moving on up to potentially have Blair be on TV. With Chelsea Handler attached as an EP, Blair just got bought up as a project at HBO Max. We can only hope that it gets pick up to have an animated series that speaks to our collective feelings of being stuck in so many literal and figurative ways right now.

We’ll keep you posted if it gets a series order at HBO Max or elsewhere.

HBO Max Announces a New Trio of Specials from Colin Quinn, Phoebe Robinson, and Aida Rodriguez

August 21, 2020

News

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Hot off the heels on releasing four different stand-up specials yesterday, HBO Max has just announced three more (in addition to the back half of the Team Coco specials whose production got interrupted by lockdown).

One will be a drive-in special curated, directed, and headlined by Colin Quinn taped in Brooklyn. Quinn’s line-up has yet to be announced (but we’ll keep you in the loop)

Another one will be Phoebe Robinson’s debut special (done solo from Jessica Williams and 2 Dope Queens).

Lastly, Aida Rodriguez will have her very first hour special where she will get to put her brand of unfiltered, calls-it-like-she-sees-it comedy on its biggest stage yet.

This trio of specials is a more than solid addition to their comedy programming slate over at HBO.

We are pondering about one small thing: are there going to be those hybrid comedy specials done over at HBO and HBO will just use HBO Max for more conventional stand-up specials? We’ll just have to wait and see at this point.

Beth Stelling’s Debut Hour Special “Girl Daddy” Shows Beth at Her Best Yet

August 20, 2020

News

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Beth Stelling‘s debut hour special Girl Daddy exemplifies all the things that we’ve known and loved about Stelling for years and years. The magnetism of her stage presence is undeniable, she’s balanced in how silly/clever and how genuine/vulnerable she is, and we can’t help but want to just keep hearing her talking about whatever she wants to talk about.

Girl Daddy shows off all those qualities no matter how dark or how fun loving Beth goes with her stories and observations. Often, Stelling will switch between the two extremes in the same breath and do so flawlessly. In fact, she exudes nothing but a sense of command and confidence throughout this hour that make any sudden tonal shifts completely work. Also, Beth’s material really highlights the power and resilience of women through her experiences with men (both good and bad), her family, and the entire world, expertly accented by Beth’s unshakeable poise and calm.

Beth Stelling: Girl Daddy is now streaming on HBO Max and you really ought to go watch it ASAP.

Please Enjoy Trailer for New Buddy Road Comedy at HBO Max “Unpregnant”

August 12, 2020

News

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HBO Max seems to be coming with the goods to make up for the transition of HBO having a new arm and folding HBO GO and HBO Now into the exclusive streaming service. They’ve got Team Coco stand-up specials coming around the corner, a new season of Search Party on the horizon, and a new buddy road comedy, Unpregnant from director/co-writer Rachel Lee Goldenberg and writers Ted Caplan, Jenni Hendriks, William Parker, and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.

Starring Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira, there seems to the same sort of promise of a fun loving coming-of-age journey as Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart offered last year, though with more focus on getting an abortion rather than having one last chance at partying properly.

See for yourself in the trailer for Unpregnant here, then, if you dig it, look for it on HBO Max on Thurs. Sept. 10th.

Please Enjoy the Trailer for Beth Stelling’s HBO Max Special “Girl Daddy”

August 10, 2020

News

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Starting soon, HBO Max will start their roll out of their stand-up specials, continuing HBO’s expansion into the streaming space. Several months ago, Conan and HBO had struck a deal to produce a handful of comedy specials exclusively for the streaming service. They got to taping some of them, and then, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, interrupting any and all production.

Thankfully, the always splendid and delightful Beth Stelling got her special Girl Daddy in the can before all of that happened and will thusly be releasing her special next week on Thurs. Aug. 20th at HBO Max. A trailer for Girl Daddy was just posted today and shows off more of Beth’s signature undeniable warmth and sharp wit.

Give it a watch here, while you wait for next week to start streaming (you can and should also go watch/listen to everything else Beth’s done in the meantime; it’ll really make your day).

Trailer is here for my @hbomax special Girl Daddy pic.twitter.com/LCuVAQ1cp5

— Beth Stelling (@BethStelling) August 10, 2020

Team Coco’s HBO Max Comedy Specials Start Streaming Next Month; More to Come Soon

July 23, 2020

News

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Right before lockdown, Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco managed to shoot two hour long comedy specials, destined for HBO Max, from the amazing Beth Stelling and James Veitch. More specials that they had planned to shoot got postponed because of COVID-19 shutting down production right around their shoot dates.

Still, those special are set to start streaming on HBO’s newly minted HBO Max next month in an announcement made yesterday.

Also, hour specials from Chris Redd and Moses Storm that had been previously slated for production, along with shorter specials featuring the likes of comedians that you really ought to know already: Naomi Ekperigin, Solomon Georgio, Tommy Johnagin, and Ismo. The dates for when those will happen and subsequently released are TBA. We’re assuming that the nature of the dates will depend on how protocol on TV production with any sort of live audience might change (as that’s not really happening right now) over the next few months.

In any case, you have two new hour comedy specials that are coming in a few weeks from the HBO and Team Coco side of things rather than at Netflix, which is still pretty much on pace for releasing a comedy special every week.

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