Some comedy institutions already closing the books before the end of 2022
Our top stories from the world of comedy this past week…
The Daily Show, now without Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah ended his run as host of Comedy Central’s premier late-night talker on Thursday after seven years and change. Lots of change. Here’s Noah delivering some heartfelt remarks during his finale, in particular thanking the Black women in his life and ours, too:
When the show returns Jan. 17, 2023, Comedy Central will rotate a series of famous faces through weeklong rotations behind the desk. Among them: Al Franken, Chelsea Handler, D. L. Hughley, Leslie Jones, John Leguizamo, Hasan Minhaj, Kal Penn, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes and Marlon Wayans. Handler, Silverman, Sykes and Minhaj all have previous hosting experience, and of course, Minhaj is a former TDS correspondent. No Sam Bee on the initial slate of announced guest hosts, but stay tuned. They also didn’t announce any of the current correspondents/contributors (including Roy Wood, Jr.), either, but they’re all in the mix, with no permanent host planned before a September relaunch for Fall 2023. Chris McCarthy, President/CEO Paramount Media Networks said: “Trevor redefined the show, as did Jon Stewart before him, and as we look to the future, we are excited to reimagine it yet again with the help of this incredible list of talent and correspondents along with the immensely talented Daily Show team.”
Remember: The Late Late Show at CBS (also Paramount-owned) has a host job opening coming up next fall, too! So, anyone testing out their skills behind TDS desk easily could be auditioning for that through this. Some of these comedians might not even want any late-night hosting gig full-time. Either way, this process allows the show and the network to tinker around with the format to see what might work best moving forward. Because who knows what viewers might even want in terms of late-night TV nine months from now?!?
Carolines on Broadway, exiting Broadway
I heard rumors 10 years ago (at least) that Carolines might move out of Times Square due to an unbearable lease. Caroline Hirsch and company stayed then, and made it through COVID shutdowns thanks to federal pandemic aid. But they’re out the door come Jan. 1, 2023, announcing they’re not renewing this time around.
Hirsch first opened her namesake club as a cabaret in 1982 in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, became a popular comedy club at South Street Seaport in 1987, then five years later proved herself ahead of the Disney-fication curve in transforming Times Square by relocating to 1626 Broadway. Hirsch claims she’ll maintain her presence shepherding the New York Comedy Festival each November and look for a new larger “stage” for the club. Which reminds me of when the Comedy Connection in Boston left its own high-priced, high-trafficked location at Fanueil Hall, only to transition into The Wilbur Theatre. As for Carolines on Broadway, their final headliner is one of the greats: Dave Attell, Dec. 28-30.
RIP Silver Saundors (Friedman)
Silver Saundors, who owned the legendary New York Improv from 1979 to 1992 after getting the OG comedy club in her divorce from Budd Friedman, died in hospice on Dec. 3 in Santa Monica. She was 89. Budd had preceded her in death just a month ago.
Born Silver Schreck on Aug. 28, 1933, she was born into the industry in LA — her father, Jay, was an editor at Variety. She grew up in Chicago, however, and changed her last name to Saundors when she entered show biz. She was singing in the chorus with the Broadway musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, when she met Budd Friedman, and they opened the original Improvisation club on West 44th Street and Ninth Avenue in 1963 as an after-show hangout.
My heart goes out to Zoe and the rest of the family.
Industry News and Notes
Jerrod Carmichael will host the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards, which are making a comeback to NBC and Peacock on Jan. 10, 2023. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announces nominees in TV and film this Monday morning.
HBO Max, in slashing the unscripted/reality programming in the latest Warner Bros. Discovery merger fallout, has axed the Nikki Glaser-hosted FBoy Island after two seasons. STXalternative hopes to shop it to new buyers.
HBO Max also canceled Issa Rae’s Sweet Life: Los Angeles series. But in brighter news, Rae also accepted the Equity in Entertainment Award at the Women In Entertainment ceremony.
Hasan Minhaj and his wife Dr. Beena Patel Minhaj received something called The Visionary Award at 2022 Jhpiego’s Laughter Is the Best Medicine gala, recognizing their activism for women’s empowerment, education and access to health care.
Craig Ferguson has new reps for touring: CAA. He’s still using WME for his other agency needs, for what that’s worth.
Hulu has hired Emily Furutani as vice president of comedy for Hulu Originals. She previously served as director of comedy development for Universal Television, where she worked on Never Have I Ever, Lopez vs. Lopez, Bust Down, and the upcoming Primo.
Sacha Baron Cohen brought Borat to the Kennedy Center Honors, which taped last Sunday and air Wednesday, Dec. 28 on CBS/Paramount+.
All Things Comedy has wrapped production on Drugstore June, a comedy movie directed by Nicholaus Goossen, with a cast that includes Esther Povitsky, Bobby Lee, Beverly D’Angelo, Brandon Wardell, Ms. Pat, Al Madrigal, Haley Joel Osment, Matt Walsh, Nick Rutherford, Trevor Wallace, Steph Tolev, Jon Gabrus, Bill Burr and more famous and infamous icons.
Critics Choice TV nominations for Best Comedy Series: Abbott Elementary (ABC); Barry (HBO); The Bear (FX); Better Things (FX); Ghosts (CBS); Hacks (HBO Max); Reboot (Hulu); Reservation Dogs (FX). For Best Comedy Special: Fortune Feimster: Good Fortune (Netflix); Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel (HBO); Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual (Netflix); Nikki Glaser: Good Clean Filth (HBO); Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special (Netflix); Would It Kill You to Laugh? Starring Kate Berlant & John Early (Peacock). For Best Talk Show: The Amber Ruffin Show (Peacock); Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS); The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC); Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO); Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC); Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo)
Among the 2022 YouTube Streamy Award winners: Creator of the Year: MrBeast; Show of the Year: Good Mythical Morning; Streamer of the Year: Kai Cenat; International: Khaby Lame (Italy); Short Form: Sheena Melwani; Comedy: RDCWorld; Writing: Brandon Rogers
FOX is developing a comedy called Remix from Sam Laybourne and Mnelik Belilgne, about “a progressive, podcast-loving millennial who tries to modernize his father’s old school funk recording studio in an effort to save the family business and bond with his outdated, opinionated music producer dad.” Laybourne also is developing the pilot Country Eastern with Vir Das for FOX with Party Over Here producing.
Sierra Teller Ornelas and Marcos Luevanos are developing half-hour multicam Amigos for NBC under Universal Television. The premise: Six Latino friends (Friends!) living in LA “who lean and rag on each other as they find love, grow up and figure out what success means in 2022.”
Five women filed a lawsuit last week against Bill Cosby, NBCUniversal Media, LLC, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Inc., and The Carsey-Werner Company, LLC under a new New York state law (the Adult Survivors Act) that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations for older sexual assault claims. They’re among the dozens of women who previously have alleged Cosby, now 85, raped or sexual assaulted them decades ago. Cosby was released from prison last year on a technicality.
There’s also a class-action lawsuit against Yuga Labs, parent company of the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, because, duh. Specifically naming celebrities alleging conspiracy to defraud investors, naming names such as Kevin Hart and Jimmy Fallon, who pimped the Bored Ape NFTs during The Tonight Show.
Mark Your Calendars
My Next Guest with David Letterman unveils a special one-hour episode on Netflix on Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, filmed in Kyiv.
Films heading to Slamdance in 2023 include: Patton Oswalt and Maria Bamford in Unicorn Boy; Cash Cow, a doc written/directed by Matt Barats
Films heading to Sundance in 2023 include a documentary about Michael J. Fox; Theater Camp from Molly Gordon, starring Gordon with Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Jimmy Tatro, Patti Harrison, Ayo Edebiri; and You Hurt My Feelings from Nicole Holofcener, and starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tobias Menzies, Michaela Watkins, Owen Teague, Arian Moayed.
Skankfest will return to Las Vegas in 2023, from Sept 29 to Oct. 1. Presale tickets open up Monday.
Kountry Wayne (a.k.a. Wayne Colley) announced his HELP IS ON THE WAY Comedy Tour, produced by Live Nation. The 37-city tour kicks off on Feb. 3 in Denver, with stops along the way in Phoenix, Nashville, Detroit, Toronto, Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia, before concluding in Baton Rouge on May 27. Additionally, Wayne is set to perform two shows in Savannah, GA that will be taped for his upcoming one-hour comedy special. Tickets went on sale Friday on Ticketmaster.com.
Sarah Silverman also announced her upcoming 2023 tour hitting 14 cities across the US next year. Sarah Silverman: Grow Some Lips will kick off on Friday, Jan. 20 in Denver at Comedy Works Downtown before making stops in Irvine, Atlantic City, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and more.
Nate Bargatze Goes To Amazon Prime Video
After a run at Netflix which culminated in Emmy and Grammy nominations, Nate Bargatze announced his newest special is going to be…an Amazon Original?!? I didn’t know Amazon was still in the original stand-up game! They’ve long allowed anyone to post their own specials to Prime Video, but as far as producing and promoting comedy in-house, Amazon has been absent recently. Not anymore.
Nate Bargatze: Hello World will premiere worldwide Jan. 31, 2023, on Prime Video.
New specials this week
Sebastian Maniscalco: Is It Me? on Netflix. My review on Decider.
Matt Rogers: Have You Heard of Christmas? on Showtime. My review on Decider.
Atsuko Okatsuka: The Intruder on HBO. My review forthcoming. My review of her live show at the Edinburgh Fringe in August.
Brian Posehn: Posehna Non Grata also premiered Dec. 8 on Moment.
Late-Night TV roundup
Jordan Jensen performed on The Late Late Show with James Corden
Mary Mack performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Lil Rel Howery told Fallon about getting benched at the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game.
Kumail Nanjiani went on Colbert to promote his Chippendale’s series.
Will Ferrell talked with Kimmel about becoming a Christmas icon.
George Lopez spoke with Kimmel about working with his daughter.
Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph told Seth who they think might replace Lorne on SNL???!
Fun Things To Do In NYC
This week’s show(s) I plugged in The New York Times: Julio Torres, this Sunday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Littlefield, 635 Sackett Street, Brooklyn; littlefieldnyc.com. Advance tickets have sold out, but LIMITED TICKETS will be available at the door!
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