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R.I.P. Buck Henry, 1930-2020

January 9, 2020

R.I.P. Buck Henry, 1930-2020

The career of Buck Henry is an extremely rare one. Penning the groundbreaking The Graduate, hosting SNL in the early days, co-creating Get Smart, and writing the hysterical Barbara Streisand vehicle, What’s Up Doc?, comprise such a rich and varied career of all sorts of comedy in all different sorts of formats.

In that way, Henry was kind of ahead of his time, not pigeon-holing himself to any one sort of style, genre, or place. Thus, take a moment (or go watch any of his work) to pay homage to his memory as he passed away today.

Brazilian Judge Orders Removal of Porta dos Fundos’ Gay Jesus Christmas Comedy Special “The First Temptation of Christ” Setting a Dangerous New Precedent for Free Speech

January 9, 2020

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Brazilian Judge Orders Removal of Porta dos Fundos’ Gay Jesus Christmas Comedy Special “The First Temptation of Christ” Setting a Dangerous New Precedent for Free Speech

Porta dos Fundos is a wildly popular Portugese language YouTube Channel that got a chance to make a very satirical Christmas special The First Temptation of Christ for Netflix where they depict Jesus having a secret gay boyfriend. From what clips we’ve seen, it seems to carry a light romantic comedy vibe to it, which makes the fundamentalist uproar just a little more shocking.

Christian and catholic groups in Brazil were furious at this satire and demanded that the special be taken down and Porta dos Fundos’ headquarters even got bombed with a molotov cocktail on Christmas Eve (thankfully, no one was injured and a guard was present to extinguish the fire). All of this seems eerily similar to fundamentalist responses to satirical depictions of the prophet Muhammad that the world has seen over the score of years.

A Brazilian judge ruled against Porta dos Fundos and ordered the special to be taken down for what he believes is the greater good or, more explicitly:

In his ruling, Abicair said the injunction “is beneficial not only to the Christian community, but to Brazilian society, which is mostly Christian.”

Well, the seeds of so much discord have just been planted here with this decision, not to mention the clear message that “you’re not allowed to upset the Christian faithful in Brazil lest you want to get your workplace torched,” being sent.

We won’t be surprised if we see a slight uptick in Brazilian comedians trying to find their way to America in 2020.

“Supermarket Sweep” Revival with Leslie Jones Hosting Is Going to Series at ABC

January 9, 2020

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“Supermarket Sweep” Revival with Leslie Jones Hosting Is Going to Series at ABC

The sheer enthusiasm that Leslie Jones exudes about, well, anything that’s even remotely excited about is what really ought to be compelling with a Supermarket Sweep revival. There probably will be a camera on her at all times capturing her reactions to every second of action during the show.

We’re imagining the same sort of energy that Leslie brought to commenting on the Olympics will be found here on this new Supermarket Sweep that will going up at ABC.

Also, as far as game show hosts go, we’re confident that Leslie might Steve Harvey a run for his money for amount of .gifs made of her from an episode of the show.

Mel Brooks Is Heading Up a Live Musical Adaptation of ‘Young Frankenstein’ at ABC

January 8, 2020

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Mel Brooks Is Heading Up a Live Musical Adaptation of ‘Young Frankenstein’ at ABC

To be honest, we were kind of wary of this headline because network television’s new obsession over live televised stage musicals isn’t always a sure bet, in our opinion, and, also, we didn’t get a hint of Mel’s involvement in it.

Now that we know Mel Brooks is thoroughly involved with the process of bringing his comedy classic Young Frankenstein up to be a live musical, we’re actually excited to see how crazy and meta Brooks will get and what hijinks he’ll try to pull off, especially because it’s live.

Details for this live Young Frankenstein musical telecast or any other details for that matter have yet to be announced (but we’ll let you know once we find out).

Both JoJo Rabbit and Booksmart Score Writers Guild Awards Nominations

January 7, 2020

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Both JoJo Rabbit and Booksmart Score Writers Guild Awards Nominations

Thus far this award season, it appeared as though, yet again, comedy films weren’t going to get much of a nod (as is always sort of the case).

JoJo Rabbit might be an exception to this notion for how much critical acclaim on all fronts that it has been getting, but Booksmart garnering a Writers Guild nomination is a very pleasant surprise. Booksmart should have been a bigger hit and we can only hope that it lives on to be enjoyed again and again over the years for how sincerely refreshing and satisfying and hopeful it was.

Truly, we love both films (they both made our 100 Best of 2019 list) and hope that they fare as well as they can against the likes of Parasite, Joker, Knives Out, and more.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Ramy Youssef Win for Comedy at 77th Golden Globe Awards

January 7, 2020

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Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Ramy Youssef Win for Comedy at 77th Golden Globe Awards

While the Hollywood Foreign Press Association still has a very foggy idea as to what should count as a comedy film (and still rope it in with musicals) for their Golden Globes Awards, we’re very glad to see that Phoebe Waller-Bridge scored Best Actress TV Series-Comedy and Best TV Series-Comedy for Fleabag and Ramy Youssef won Best Actor TV Series-Comedy for his eponymous dramedy Ramy.

While there won’t be a third season of Fleabag, it’s great that Phoebe Waller-Bridge is getting her just due now and also that Ramy is getting such acclaim on his first season.

FYI, here’s the full list of winners for the 77th Golden Globe Awards.

Justin Roiland Sets Claymation Series “Gloop World” Following the Lives of Blobs at Quibi

January 6, 2020

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Justin Roiland Sets Claymation Series “Gloop World” Following the Lives of Blobs at Quibi

If there’s anyone in the world to find a way to explore the emotions and complexities of two anthropomorphic blobs to the point where they can make a TV show about it, it would be Rick and Morty’s Justin Roiland.

Called Gloop World, Roiland will indeed delve into the lives of two blobs named Bob Roundy and Funzy. We only have this much info as to what Gloop World will entail, but this whole idea does make us think of that Terryfold song.

Also, count this as another very, very intriguing get for the still yet-to-be-launched Quibi. They only get more and more enticing every other week or so with a new, crazy acquisition to their slate.

Ramy Youssef Signs Overall Deal With A24

December 24, 2019

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Ramy Youssef Signs Overall Deal With A24

A24 is essentially a golden brand these days that carries an air of serious artistic credibility and respect with whatever they work on.

Thus, it’s pretty amazing to see them bring in a comedian for an overall deal. Of course, Ramy Youssef has garnered a ton of acclaim for both his stand-up and TV series Ramy that boldly explore what it’s like to be Muslim in American these days in a peak-TV, dramedy/enrapturing storytelling kind-of-way.

There is a certain cinematic quality to what Ramy does and this collaboration with one of the most beloved studios of today has us excited to see what they come up with.

FYI, Ramy’s already got two shows in the works, one of which will delve into the life of disabled people like Ramy did for Muslims.

Netflix Might Have Just Come Up With Their Trippiest Animated Series Yet with “The Midnight Gospel” from Pendelton Ward and Duncan Trussell

December 20, 2019

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Netflix Might Have Just Come Up With Their Trippiest Animated Series Yet with “The Midnight Gospel” from Pendelton Ward and Duncan Trussell

A series description of, “…a spacecaster with a malfunctioning multiverse simulator who leaves the comfort of his home to interview beings living in dying worlds,” is certainly as “out there” as Netflix has ever gone; maybe even more so.

The minds of Pendelton Ward, the creator of Adventure Time, and the everpresent-ly trippy Duncan Trussell created what they’re calling The Midnight Gospel and we’re already on board from just the logline. If anything, we’d love to see what beautiful imagery is dreamed up from a premise that has touches of Welcome to Night Vale and Rick and Morty in it.

Look for The Midnight Gospel to arrive in 2020 on Netflix.

Amazon Re-ups The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel for Fourth Season

December 13, 2019

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Amazon Re-ups The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel for Fourth Season

Once again, Amazon’s prestige series, even above all of their dramas, is going to get renewed (so long as Amy Sherman-Palladino is game of course).

What will be interesting to see here is how long The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel might go and where the show could go now as a perennial award winner and leader for Amazon Studios. Would they make it into the 70s, which could be really fascinating to see how Midge handles that particular boom in comedy (maybe even a little differently than I’m Dying Up Here)?

There’s no telling about any of that right now, so just enjoy getting more Mrs. Maisel in the not too distant future.

Fortune Feimster’s First House Special “Sweet & Salty” Will Premiere at Netflix

December 11, 2019

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Fortune Feimster’s First House Special “Sweet & Salty” Will Premiere at Netflix

The clever, yet honest, and oh-so-charming comedy of Fortune Feimster was worthy of an hour special for years (she killed at Last Comic Standing almost 10 years ago). Finally, she’s getting her due with a Netflix special called Sweet & Salty due out Jan. 21st.

We’re glad to see Fortune is Netflix’s queue for stand-up specials coming up, which will further heat up the rivalry between all the other streaming services like HBO Max and networks’ slate for comedy specials.

Reno 911! to Ride Again at Quibi

December 6, 2019

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Reno 911! to Ride Again at Quibi

Quibi is really good at keeping their hype up in the air. Their curious, niche projects from very funny people (amongst dozens of other genre projects they’ve got in development) have drummed plenty of anticipation for the short form streaming service.

A full on revival of Reno 911!, as far as their comedy slate is concerned, might be their biggest get yet and one that makes their future even more interesting (and viable?). Reno 911!’s Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, and Kerri Kenney-Silver are set to return both as writers and cast members and perhaps what was born as a parody of the long-running reality series Cops very well might translate from half hour episodic to short form.

We’ll all just have to wait and see how this plays out when Quibi officially arrives as a streaming service, but, again, they’re doing a pretty job of keeping people curious and talking about them thus far.

HBO Max Announces Stand-Up Specials from Tracy Morgan, John Early, Rose Matafeo, and Ahir Shah

December 4, 2019

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ahir shah, comedy specials, hbo max, john early, rose matafeo, stand up comedy, tracy morgan

HBO Max Announces Stand-Up Specials from Tracy Morgan, John Early, Rose Matafeo, and Ahir Shah

Well, well, well.

As Netflix announced today that it beat out HBO to keep Ali Wong in the fold, HBO swings back with their own exclusive stand-up special offerings that will be coming to their streaming service HBO Max next year. It’s a pretty intriguing slate thus far that includes comedy superstar Tracy Morgan, comedy star on-the-rise John Early, New Zealand comedy star making-her-way-stateside Rose Matafeo, and up-and-coming political English comedy star Ahir Shah.

We were actually wondering what would happen to this sort of segment in stand-up comedy as Netflix is currently in the business of doling out hours for comedy’s biggest stars and then giving who they think are up-and-comers (but are somewhat established, certainly enough for an hour special) 30 min. or 15 min. specials. Our hunch was that Amazon and other streaming services/networks like HBO Max would fill in this niche and it is certainly coming to pass. Amazon’s already put out hours from Alice Wetterlund and I Mom So Hard and, from the looks of this announcement, HBO is getting in while the getting is good.

Ali Wong Will Stay at Netflix for Her Next Two Specials

December 3, 2019

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Ali Wong Will Stay at Netflix for Her Next Two Specials

Apparently, HBO had their sights set on Ali Wong, who shot to fame with two Netflix specials Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife, in the ongoing war for comedy prestige with Netflix.

Yet, Netflix prevailed, presumably as they were going to dole out more cash (and we wouldn’t be more surprised if they’ve got some other lovely things lined-up for Wong).

In any case, this means that we all will be getting an Ali Wong special next year and another one in the perhaps not so distant future after that.

What lies in the future between the big players in the comedy special space? It has yet to be seen, but bidding wars will probably get fiercer as networks and streaming services amasses war chests of exclusive comedy specials.

Per Our Thanksgiving Tradition, Here’s the Dollop’s Episode on Thanksgiving

November 28, 2019

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Per Our Thanksgiving Tradition, Here’s the Dollop’s Episode on Thanksgiving

Every Thanksgiving, we like to partake in the wonderful podcast, The Dollop, and hosts Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds’ deep dive into the history of the first and second Thanksgiving that ever happened in America.

Isn’t tradition great?

Happy Thanksgiving/National Day of Mourning.

Comedy Central Developing Blake Griffin Talk Show Where Guests Will Go One-on-One with Griffin in a Competition of Their Choice

November 27, 2019

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Comedy Central Developing Blake Griffin Talk Show Where Guests Will Go One-on-One with Griffin in a Competition of Their Choice

Depending on who the guests are and what challenges they put renowned basketball star Blake Griffin through, this might be something here.

A panel interview during an archery contest? a game of Flip Cup? Minature golf? The potential for some genuine chaos in these cases could be very fun.

One on One with Blake Griffin is being developed as a pilot, but it’s one of the bigger swings Comedy Central has taken in awhile and we’re intrigued.

Please Enjoy Christina Catherine Martinez’s Commercial That She Made to Sell Her Old Car on Craigslist

November 20, 2019

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Please Enjoy Christina Catherine Martinez’s Commercial That She Made to Sell Her Old Car on Craigslist

Christina Catherine Martinez and her pop-ins into frame here are magical. The ad alone should be the selling point for the car, no matter the condition of the actual car, right?

See for yourself in her DIY used car ad here.

Allen Strickland Williams’ ‘Unmatched’ in Development at Quibi

November 20, 2019

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Allen Strickland Williams’ ‘Unmatched’ in Development at Quibi

Once more, Quibi scores another bleeding-edge cool comedy project, this time from Allen Strickland Williams with a show about rebelling against a perfected dating app for the sake of sexual freedom and personal agency.

Coupled with the debut of his half hour special at Comedy Central, Williams is having a pretty swell November.

Let’s hope that Unmatched makes it to series to see what ASW has up his very fancy sleeves.

Naomi Ekperigin’s Medical Family Sitcom “The Turners” Gets a Script Commitment with Penalty at ABC

November 18, 2019

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Naomi Ekperigin’s Medical Family Sitcom “The Turners” Gets a Script Commitment with Penalty at ABC

Naomi Ekperigin is without a doubt one of our favorite comedians out there today. We’ve said it so many times and we’ll keep saying it because she is just that good.

So, hearing that a single camera, based-on-a-true-story comedy that she wrote about a multi-generational family of doctors suddenly having to all work together is pretty grand news to us (and we hope to you too). We sincerely hope that this gets to make it through development hell to TV to see both Ekperigin’s name in big lettering on network television and what she great things she would do at the helm of a sitcom.

Nick Ciarelli and Brad Evans Get Ahead of Google and “Dream Up” What Their Streaming Service Might Be

November 16, 2019

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Nick Ciarelli and Brad Evans Get Ahead of Google and “Dream Up” What Their Streaming Service Might Be

With the proliferation of streaming services that never seem to end, Nick Ciarelli and Brad Evans offer up what it might be like (and what might actually happen) with what Google’s streaming service would be like.

Nick and Brad show off what would be a great episode of Black Mirror as well as their mastery of making satirical lists. Enjoy Google Drive Deluxe here.

‘Full Frontal With Samantha Bee’ Renewed at TBS for Fifth Season

November 13, 2019

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‘Full Frontal With Samantha Bee’ Renewed at TBS for Fifth Season

This renewal at TBS will definitely mean we’ll get to see Samantha Bee and company do their thing through the 2020 election and, potentially, be in a world post-Trump?

It almost sees like a world of infinite possibilities for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (and all of late night for that matter) if that indeed happens (well, depending on who gets elected).

The Soup with Jade Catta Preta Set for 2020

November 11, 2019

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The Soup with Jade Catta Preta Set for 2020

Yes, the former pop culture digest juggernaut The Soup will be returning once again on E!, this time with an exciting new host in stand-up comedian Jade Catta-Preta.

This move intrigues us a whole bunch as E! has continued to try to find their next franchise series where a comedian takes on the pop culture news of the day. They didn’t give Busy Tonight! enough of a chance to be such a show and are looking towards reviving one of their longest running series in The Soup to achieve that goal and are betting on Jade, a rare comedian that has risen through the comedy ranks performing both in English and Portugese.

Arguably, The Soup was the pretty much the predecessor to Tosh.0, and a veritable genre of clip shows. Now that there has been oversatuation of such shows, our curiosity is peaked in regards to how E! is going to tweak the original format of the show. Supposedly, there’s an updated take on the series (E! wouldn’t have Jade just watch clips from the Internet and make fun of them only, would they?), but it’s not quite clear what that might be or what exact format they’ll go for.

We’ll be very eager to see what E!’s cooking up this time around, hopefully something that can last as long as The Soup with Joel McHale did.

Eric Andre Gets to Fully Realize an Eric Andre Show Sketch with ‘Rapper Warrior Ninja’ at Quibi

November 7, 2019

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Eric Andre Gets to Fully Realize an Eric Andre Show Sketch with ‘Rapper Warrior Ninja’ at Quibi

One of the bits that sticks from The Eric Andre Show that sticks with us the most is when Andre had rappers Killer Mike and Action Bronson rap battle each other while on treadmills.

So, It was announced today that Quibi’s latest series will be a reimagining of that bit as rappers will get to battle with both bars and take on an American Ninja Warrior style obstacle course at the behest of Eric Andre.

We have no doubt that this controlled chaos at what will be called Rapper Warrior Ninja will either have literally epic freestyle raps and/or epic fails of rappers trying to make it through an Eric Andre Show influenced obstacle course.

Score another very enticing show for the still yet to be officially launched streaming service, Quibi.

David Wain and A.D. Miles Look to Revolutionize the Sitcom Format with a Daily Sitcom “Today’s Special”

November 5, 2019

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David Wain and A.D. Miles Look to Revolutionize the Sitcom Format with a Daily Sitcom “Today’s Special”

Rather than churn out another topical late night show or a fish-out-of-water multi-cam sitcom that will get cancelled before reaching the end of its first season, WarnerMedia Entertainment is letting the likes of David Wain and A.D. Miles, two very beloved comedic minds, do something truly ambitious (maybe even more ambitious than the two-hour live late night variety show Vice Live).

So, Today’s Special is set to be a sitcom with a new episode released daily (probably four or five a week) that takes place entirely at a diner with its staff and patrons talking about the day’s events, but in a sitcom form. It’ll have a single camera feel, which essentially means that every episode will likely have to be a “bottle episode”, which could make for something revolutionary as a sitcom, especially with Wain and Miles at the helm. If anything, they could be more on the ball about making topical jokes in a sitcom format than South Park does.

Technically, it’s at the pilot stage, but 4 episodes have been ordered as the show’s ambitious format kind of demands it.

Off the concept alone, we’d love to see this go to series just so we all can see what Today’s Special would actually be like.

So, Armando Iannucci Won’t Be Making That Trump Satire… For Now

November 5, 2019

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So, Armando Iannucci Won’t Be Making That Trump Satire… For Now

Via a Tweet from a year ago, comedy genius Armando Iannucci (Veep, In The Loop, Death of Stalin) not only teased the Internet with a possible satire he could do of the Trump Administration, but also made real life executives sprint to make him offers for such a movie.

Iannucci, in a recent interview at a TV conference in London, told the crowd that he turned them down. Yet, he didn’t completely kill the idea of doing a movie where Trump is taken from the actual White House to a fake one to make his presidency a staged one. Perhaps, it’s too soon for all of us to properly take on a such movie, which is why Iannucci said he would have to hold off for a few decades before approaching this project.

With late night covering the bulk of making fun of Trump (in addition to whatever the Internet as a collective consciousness says in being obsessed with him), it might indeed be best if some time passed before Armando actually moved forward with this idea. Undoubtedly, Armando Iannucci will have plenty of stuff in store (like his new movie The Personal History of David Copperfield) to keep us occupied until then.

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