Ziwe Has Arrived on Showtime and The World Really Ought to Be Watching

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There’s almost a sense of certainty with ZIWE, the brand new eponymous variety/talk show series sprouted from Ziwe’s own IG Live series, Baited. Of the comedy live-stream that embarked into the unknown of this virtual era of comedy, Baited with Ziwe was lightning that struck louder and bigger every time with her interview format involving race baiting questions and deeper explorations of the biases of comedians, celebrities, influencers, many of which had been “cancelled”. Several hundred and sometimes thousands would tune in on the jankiest of all live-stream platforms, IG Live, and revel in Ziwe’s balance of poise and the iconic looks she would strike based on people’s answers or, in many cases, attempts at answers.

Even, Vulture started to recap it like it was an actual TV series (a mark, which no other live-stream, to our knowledge can really claim).

Without a doubt, it was one of the best things in comedy in 2020 and Showtime made a real smart move in giving Ziwe her own show that not only plays up her iconic ambitions (even evident in these opening credits for the show), but played to the core strengths of Ziwe’s uber-satirical sense of humor and of Baited’s devil-may-care-ish picking apart of one’s biases. The premiere of Ziwe, having just aired on Showtime this past Sunday, was brilliant and that just almost seemed inevitable.

Check her interview with Fran Lebowitz, this wonderfully bizarre American Girl Doll sketch, and her panel discussion with women all named Karen and their feelings on the pejorative term, Karen to see Ziwe’s panache and verve that makes her really stand out from the rest of the crowd (whether it be late night, talk shows, or sketch). Truly, we can’t wait to see wait what the self-styled icon does next over almost anything else on television.

ZIWE airs every Sunday at 11PM on Showtime and, like we said above, you and the rest of the world best be watching (even if it means having to add Showtime to your streaming services/cable package).