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David Cross is a man of discerning cinematic taste, as evidenced by the time he sacrificed a $150,000 bonus just to warn all of America not to see his newest movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.

On the latest episode of his podcast, Senses Working Overtime with David Cross, the Arrested Development star chatted with Nick Kroll, and a not insignificant portion of their conversation was about movies.

“I have been in some good movies. I’ve also been in some shit movies,” Cross confessed while somehow resisting the urge to dunk on Chipwrecked again. Although he did admit that most of the films he’s made are actually pretty good. Like how he played Allen Ginsberg in the Bob Dylan-inspired I’m Not There. And also Allen Ginsberg’s father in the Daniel Radcliffe movie Kill Your Darlings.

“I figured you’d played the entire Ginsberg catalog,” Kroll joked. “If...

From Yetis and Jersey Devils to sea serpents and the "Florida Man," Ahoy Comics has taken readers on a tour of eccentric, elusive, and altogether bizarre creatures from around the globe in their Project: Cryptid comic book series since its debut back in 2023.

Now lurking on bookstore shelves, Project: Cryptid Volume 2 collects more of the series' creature-centric tall tales from a talented array of writers and artists, including Alisa Kwitney, Matt Ligeti, Carol Lay, Jamal Igle, Ryan Kelly, and Mauricet.

As a special treat for Daily Dead readers, we have an exclusive reveal of the second volume's introduction by comedian, actor, and author Chris Gethard, who reminds us that while his home state of New Jersey is home to a plethora of peculiar cryptids, "every corner of this world has their fair share of odd stories," whether it's South Carolina's Lizard Man, the Bunnyman of Virginia, or the Dogman of Cape May.

Sony has earned a stellar reputation in recent years for producing some of the most compelling projects, and it continues to expand its creative horizons. With hits like The Boys and Cobra Kai under its belt, Sony has established itself as a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, and now, the studio is bolstering its behind-the-scenes talent by signing first-look deals with nine up-and-coming comedy writers: Scott Aukerman, Karen Chee, Chris Garcia, Julie Klausner, Chris Gethard, Lisa Gilroy, Lacey Jeka, Shaun Diston, and Alok Vaid-Menon. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the writers will help develop new projects and collaborate with existing creative minds at Sony.

Lauren Stein, head of creative at Sony Pictures TV, and Colin Davis, executive vice president of comedy development, have meticulously curated this new wave of talent with the intent of bringing more diversity in style and substance to Sonys comedy output. Stein also emphasized that the...

Sony Pictures Television is widening the creative circle — by a lot — in its comedy division.

The studio has signed first-look deals with nine writers and comics — Scott Aukerman, Karen Chee, Shaun Diston, Chris Garcia, Chris Gethard, Lisa Gilroy, Lacey Jeka, Julie Klausner and Alok Vaid-Menon. They’ll all work on developing new comedy series projects and potentially collaborate with other writers and producers who have deals at Sony.

Lauren Stein, head of creative at Sony Pictures TV, and Colin Davis, executive vp comedy development, said the deals are part of an effort at the studio to bring in what Davis calls a “spectrum of sensibilities” to comedy development.

“The list is a collective of a different creators and multihyphenates that we believe each have unique voices and a hit show in them,” Davis said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “They really represent the comedy community at large, and...

It’s been five years since stand-up star Shane Gillis spent a total of five days as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, but Lorne Michaels still can’t believe that the show’s fanbase didn’t want to spend every Saturday night watching Gillis awkwardly mumble slurs at his co-stars.

The ascension of Saturday Night Live’s shortest-tenured cast member from podcasting microcelebrity to bona fide streaming star following the events of his 2019 hired-to-fired speedrun makes us wonder whether Gillis could have accomplished nearly as much in his already-impressive comedy career had SNL retained him through its 45th season and beyond. Between his Netflix series Tires, his streaming special Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs and his deification among the vaguely conservative anti-woke comedy crowd, Gillis is currently in command of a larger following than those of all but the most all-time-beloved SNL cast members, and it’s hard to...

Get ready to crank up the volume because Val Verde’s favorite (and now officially #1) classic rock station, 108.9 The Hawk, is back for Season 5! Join hosts Geoff “The Angry Man” Garlock (the seminal hardcore band Orchid) and Jason Gore as they navigate the turbulent waters of radio broadcasting with their signature blend of improvised comedy, classic rock, and absurd characters.

This season, 108.9 The Hawk is turning up the heat with a lineup of amazing special guests, starting off with a bang with guest Dave Holmes (Who Killed the Video Star?; Waiting For Impact; MTV). Tune in on Monday, August 19th as Dave takes on the role of Val Verde’s beloved weatherman Greg Fresca, as they celebrate Extreme Heat Days, Val Verde's favorite outdoor festival that takes place in a mall parking lot. The following week they will be joined by Will Hines (Comedy Bang Bang; The World’s Greatest...

Party Down is one of those comedy shows that very few people know about but those who know it, love it and really appreciate the recent revival. The Starz series follows the story of a group of out-of-work actors in Los Angeles who are trying to earn a living by working in a catering company and still hoping to make it big in the industry. Party Down stars Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Lizzy Caplan, Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr, Jane Lynch, and Megan Mullally. So, if you loved the group dynamics, cringe comedy, and a bit of dark humor in Party Down, here are some similar shows you could watch next.

Corporate (Paramount+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Comedy Central

Corporate is a dark comedy series created by Pat Bishop, Matt Ingebretson, and Jake Weisman. The Comedy Central series follows the miserable lives of two downtrodden employees as they die a...

John Mulaney’s limited-run Netflix talk show has been generating a lot of buzz this week, but for some fans of the show it’s been bittersweet, reminding them of another show—one that got away.

“We are only doing six episodes, so this show will never hit its groove,” Mulaney joked in the first episode of Everybody’s in L.A. last Friday. Groove or not, what Mulaney’s show has in spades is a vibe—one that reviewers, as cited by the host himself on the second episode, have called “loose,” “clunky,” and “impulsive” (in a good way).

It’s that vibe that’s reminded some viewers of The Chris Gethard Show, which began as a live show at NYC’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre before moving to public access TV in Manhattan. It then got a 20-episode run on Fusion, followed by a switch to truTV, where...

Watch Good One: A Show About Jokes on Peacock for a peek into the art and process of stand-up comedy with Mike Birbiglia. The documentary special features insights on jokes and development from Birbiglia after his Broadway show. From personal truths to new material, follow Birbiglia on his comedy journey from Providence to D.C.

If you like stand-up comedy and are interested in the actual art and composition of it, the new Peacock special Good One: A Show About Jokes is just for you. The delightful comedian and filmmaker Mike Birbiglia is the subject of this hybrid comedy-documentary special that takes its name from a Vulture podcast hosted by Jesse David Fox which interviews comedians about the development of specific jokes and bits. The special also features Seth Meyers, Joe Birbiglia, Hasan Minhaj, and Atsuko Okatsuka, and others. Read the synopsis below:

"A Peacock Original adaptation of the popular Vulture comedy podcast,...

Today, Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, announced the rebranding of its AdvertiseCast Marketplace to Libsyn Ads, marking a significant step in its next growth phase as the premier destination for podcast creators and advertisers. Making its debut at Podcast Movement Evolutions 2024 , Libsyn will unveil its new ad campaign for Libsyn Ads.

From the evolution of host-read ads to the introduction of dynamic creative and programmatic capabilities, Libsyn has led the charge in driving innovations and set the standard for podcast advertising. As a pioneer, Libsyn has played a pivotal role in educating brands and agencies on the rapidly growing and fragmentedpodcast advertising marketplace — delivering unmatched specialist expertise, access to sought-after inventory, advanced targeting, and outcome-based measurement capabilities, along with access to brand safety tools.

“Our decision to rebrand AdvertiseCast to Libsyn Ads is a natural progression of the successful execution of our platform strategy,...

The Writers Guild of America’s announcement that it has reached a potentially strike-ending deal with Hollywood studios was met with cheers by entertainment union members, including the union that it shared picket lines with for months, SAG-AFTRA.

“SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines,” the actors’ guild said in a statement.

A more barbed statement came from Lindsay Dougherty, Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 399, who praised the WGA for their resilience while swiping at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios in labor talks.

“The militancy of the writers holding the line and hitting the pavement exemplified their unwavering commitment to their core issues,” Dougherty wrote “Their fight has also inspired a renewed solidarity among Hollywood workers that will live long past this bargaining cycle.”

“Solidarity,...

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, today announced an exclusive, multi-year advertising deal between Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast, the industry’s premier podcast advertising marketplace that connects advertisers with podcasters, and Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People, a podcast created and hosted by comedian Chris Gethard.

With its growing network of hundreds of exclusive podcasts and thousands of participating shows, Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast marketplace presents advertisers with valuable opportunities for tapping into highly coveted podcast advertising inventory. As an exclusive advertising partner, Beautiful/Anonymous will have the opportunity to leverage AdvertiseCast’s full-service advertising platform. AdvertiseCast's industry-leading solutions includes host-read and Automatic Ads, which allows podcasts to enhance their host-read programs by incorporating programmatic ad revenues. Moreover, AdvertiseCast's Dynamic Ad Insertion feature has proven to be a game-changer for effectively monetizing unsold audio inventory.

1 phone call. 1 hour. No names. No holds barred. That’s the premise behind Beautiful/Anonymous,...

The original Would I Lie to You? TV show is a popular program in the UK and recently finished its 15th season. How will U.S. viewers take to The CW's version of the show? Will it be cancelled or renewed for season two? Stay tuned. *Status Update Below.

A comedy panel game show, the Would I Lie to You? TV series is hosted by Aasif Mandvi. In each episode, Matt Walsh and Sabrina Jalees each lead a team of celebrity guests. In various rounds, the teams are tasked with determining who is sharing facts and who is full of fiction. They ask questions and watch body language to determine which stories are outrageous but true, and which are completely made-up. This season's celebrity guests include Brooke Shields, Amber Ruffin, Laura Benanti, Michael Ian Black, Andrea Martin, Julie Klausner, Jordan Klepper, Adam Pally, Chris Gethard, Dulcé...

The Consequence Podcast Network is excited to announce the newest edition to our roster of shows: The Spark Parade, debuting Wednesday, April 19th.

Hosted by Adam Unze (The Opus), The Spark Parade explores creativity in all its forms by asking musicians, artists, comedians, and other creators to share the single cultural work that has most inspired them. Whether it’s a song, a movie, a stand-up special, a painting, or a poem, we all have something that sparks a desire to produce our own original works. On The Spark Parade, guests reveal that unique piece of art that ignites within them to fire of creation.

“The Spark Parade gives my guests a chance to break out of the traditional interview structure and have a conversation about the art and culture that’s most important to them” Unze says. “It also allows them to promote their current projects through the lens...

The lineup for Fest 21, the 2023 incarnation of The Fest in Gainesville, Florida, has arrived. Headlined by Thursday, Descendents, and Less Than Jake, the three-day DIY festival will be a celebration of punk, comedy, pro-wrestling, and more.

Fest 21 will run from October 27th through the 29th across 15 venues. Among the 350 bands joining the headliners will be Quicksand, Gorilla Biscuits, The Wonder Years, Lucero, Gwar, Cloud Nothings, Eve 6, and many more. There will also be a number of acts playing two sets, including headliners Thursday and Less Than Jake, as well as Braid, Strike Anywhere, The Pietasters, comedian Chris Gethard, and more, while other bands such as Thursday, Less Than Jake, and Braid will deliver full album performances. Check out the poster of the full lineup below.

The Fest is a “true DIY festival run solely by a group of music loving, hard-working, individuals and over 500 local volunteers.” Beginning in 2002, Fest 21 will...

Vice TV has teamed with Jimmy Kimmel’s Kimmelot and ITV America on Super Maximum Retro Show, a series based on the viral Super70sSports Twitter feed. Hosted by comedian Chris Distefano, Super Maximum Retro Show will premiere on Vice TV on Tuesday, March 7 at 10 Pm.

Super Maximum Retro Show comes from Ricky Cobb, who is behind the Twitter account, and will feature “the best, worst and most outrageous” videos, photos, ads and games from the 70s, 80s and 90s, In each episode the show’s guest panelists will comment, joke and make fun some of the most absurd things to come out of those decades in the pre-Internet era. Panelists include Hasan Minaj, Roy Wood Jr., Chris Redd, Matteo Lane, Judy Gold, Chris Gethard, Adam Pally and more.

“I love Ricky Cobb’s Super70sSports twitter feed and Chris Distefano is one of my favorite comics,” said Kimmel. “I...

Vice TV has ordered the series “Super Maximum Retro Show,” from Jimmy Kimmel’s Kimmelot and ITV America. The series, which is based on the Super70sSports viral Twitter feed, launches on Tuesday, March 7 at 10 p.m. Et.

Ricky Cobb is behind the Twitter account, while comedian Chris Distefano will host. The show will include videos, photos, ads and games from the pre-Internet era and focus on things that would have gone viral had the web existed back then. A group of guest panelists will join in and comment, as well as share their memories from the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Among the panelists lined up: Hasan Minaj, Roy Wood Jr., Chris Redd, Matteo Lane, Judy Gold, Chris Gethard, Adam Pally and others.

“I love Ricky Cobb’s Super70sSports Twitter feed and Chris Distefano is one of my favorite comics,” Kimmel said in a statement. “I cannot wait for...

While HBO Max is undergoing a sea change behind the scenes, the streamer still boasts an impressive catalog of films. Its documentary line up is particularly strong, thanks to partnerships with TCM, the Criterion Collection, and HBO itself, as well as the inclusion of several HBO Max originals. On the service, you'll find everything from groundbreaking classics that defined the genre, like "Nanook of the North," to docuseries that dive into seminal artists and cultural icons, like "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," to investigative films that probe the human condition, like "Mommy Dead and Dearest."

Whether you're looking to learn more about an overlooked moment in history or dive into the dark underbelly of true crime, there's something for every kind of documentary fan on HBO Max. From the countless hours of material to choose from, we've gathered the best documentaries streaming on HBO Max right now.

20 Feet From Stardom...

Living in New York can be an intense yet exciting adventure for any young person. But to do so through the eyes of the bubbly Awkwafina, playing a fictionalized version of herself, is an experience that makes for a riveting sitcom that is both humorous and relatable to viewers. On the series premiere date on Comedy Central in January 2020, it became the network’s highest-rated season one premiere in three years, attracting almost half a million viewers on its debut.

“Awkwafina is Nora From Queens” season one also generated 39,000 social engagements across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram — the most socially active premiere on Comedy Central since 2016. The popular show has aired its first and second seasons and has since been renewed for a third season.

This article will tell all about the marvel cast of “Awkwafina is Nora From Queens” and the interesting roles that they play.

The Main Characters of...

Exclusive: Comedy Central has set up Out of Office (working title), a workplace comedy film from The Office executive producers Ben Silverman and Paul Lieberstein. The movie, which is set to premiere this summer, is a co-production of MTV Entertainment Studios, CBS Studios and Silverman and Howard T. Owens’ Propagate.

Described as an original take on a modern workplace comedy, Out of Office stars Ken Jeong, Leslie Jones, Jason Alexander, Cheri Oteri, Jay Pharoah, Milana Vayntrub, Oscar Nuñez, Paul F. Tompkins, Jim Rash, Tony Rodriguez, Emily Pendergast, Chris Gethard, Christopher Smith, Elaine Carroll, Carmen Flood, Jean St. James, Rebecca Lee, Janine Poreba, Monte Markham, Ryan Radis and Shantira Jackson.

Written and directed by Lieberstein, the film is an ensemble comedy about the blurring lines between working from home and would-be/should-be private life. The story centers on a young woman who finds that keeping her job is somehow tied to...

Exclusive: Emmy-nominated filmmakers Alex Fumero and Kareem Tabsch are partnering to form the production company Trojan Horse. The company will be based in Los Angeles and Miami.

Deadline recently announced their latest project under the banner for Onyx, the limited docuseries Gigante, in collaboration with Don Francisco.

Producing unscripted and scripted feature films, series, and podcasts, Trojan Horse recently co-produced the four-part docuseries Menudo: Forever Young, directed by Angel Manuel Soto and Kristofer Rios. The series is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival ahead of its June 23 release on HBO Max. Fumero executive produced the project.

Trojan Horse also produced the podcast Crumbs with Sonoro for iHeartMedia.

“We’re both bilingual, bicultural, first-generation Americans. Like us, there are millions more who coexist across various cultures and communities and whose stories are important, compelling, entertaining, and ready to be embraced by mainstream audiences. We’re excited to bring those stories to audiences everywhere,...

The CW’s adaptation of British panel show Would I Lie To You? has found its lineup.

Evil star Aasif Mandvi is set as host with Veep’s Matt Walsh and Carol’s Second Act’s Sabrina Jalees as team captains.

They will do the job done by Gavin & Stacey star Rob Brydon with Back and Peep Show star David Mitchell and Not Going Out star Lee Mack on the BBC version.

A litany of guest stars have also been confirmed including Brooke Shields, Amber Ruffin, Laura Benanti, Michael Ian Black, Andrea Martin, Julie Klausner, Jordan Klepper, Adam Pally, Chris Gethard, Dulcé Sloan, as well as former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara.

The series sees a team of celebrities try and ascertain truth from fiction with questions and stories.

It will be remade by Ink Master producer Truly Original, which is owned by Banijay,...

Exclusive: Filming on the comedy film Tapawingo from Foggy Bottom Pictures has wrapped production in Hopeville, Va.

The ensemble cast includes Jon Heder, Billy Zane, Gina Gershon, Chris Gethard, Kim Matula, Jay Pichardo, John Ratzenberger, Amanda Bearse, George Psarras, Paul Psarras, Sawyer Williams, Luke Barnett and Chad Dukes among others.

“I wanted to make a movie like the ones I love watching on repeat at home,” writer-director Dylan K. Narang said. “Jon, Jay, Kim, the Psarras, Chad, Chris Gethard, Luke, Reji — they all made my job easy because they’re all naturally funny and I think it really shows in the film. I can’t wait for people to watch it.”

Tapawingo follows a 30-year-old oddball named Nate Skoog (Heder) who works a dead-end mailroom job and still lives in his mom’s house. When Nate’s boss orders him to pick up his social misfit son, Oswalt (Sawyer Williams...

In the fall of 2019, when Chris Gethard was recording his latest comedy special, Half My Life, he was a few months shy of his 40th birthday, and the world was a few months shy of being plunged into the Groundhog Day nightmare of the Covid-19 pandemic — not that anybody knew that second part. Full of self deprecations about the size of his forehead, gripes about life on the road, and earnest declarations of love for his wife and baby waiting for him at home in northern New Jersey, the special...

Comedy Dynamics has released the trailer for Chris Gethard: Half My Life, a new comedy special/tour documentary from comedian and podcaster Chris Gethard. The film will be released to streaming services on June 1st, with an accompanying album on June 4th.

Half My Life follows Gethard’s 2019 comedy tour in which he performed in smaller, often DIY venues and spaces, with all the fun and challenges that come with them. (That includes alligators, apparently!) Along the way, Gethard reflects on the fact that he’s been performing comedy for...

Retro Tech, the YouTube Original series headlined by tech review giant Marques Brownlee, is returning for its second season on April 13.

The Daytime Emmy-nominated, Vox Media Studios-produced series will explore in its second season the technological promises of the past, and how close we’ve come to achieving them in 2021. Episodes will cover, for instance, flying cars, robot maids, and teleportation. This marks a slightly different premise from the first season, which saw Brownlee examining different nostalgic tech products alongside special guests like Bill Nye, Casey Neistat, and iJustine.

This season will feature appearances from Bill Gates and Neil deGrasse Tyson; comedians Michael Ian Black, Wyatt Cenac, Negin Farsad, Chris Gethard, and Dulcé Sloan; and YouTubers Jake Baldino, Kevin Lieber, Gali Russell, Austin Evans, Michael Gregory, and Sara Dietschy.

Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.

Exclusive: U.S. streaming service Topic has acquired North American rights to Israeli drama series, The Wordmaker, for a spring release.

Cast includes Shira Haas (Unorthodox), Lior Ashkenazi (Big Bad Wolves), and Adir Miller (Traffic Light).

Set in the mystical world of Kabbalah studies, the 2015 series explores religious zealotry, the blurred lines between dreams and reality, and dark corners of the psyche. When Dr. Ari Milus wakes up one night at a bar with no memory of how he got there, he returns to his old neighborhood in Jerusalem to consult with the doctor who treated his childhood parasomnia – but in the morning the doctor is found dead, and Dr. Milus is the prime suspect. A series of murders forces him to confront his troubled past within a religious sect, led by a charismatic, revered, and dangerous figure known as “The Wordmaker.”

The suspense drama was created, written, and directed...

What do marauding baboons, carnival gang fights, and straight-up murder at a Wild West show have in common? According to comedian Chris Gethard and his crew of fellow Jersey boys, it’s all just part of growing up in the Garden State. New Jersey Is The World is a monthly podcast in which Gethard and friends cover every…...

It would’ve been improbable, ten years ago, to imagine the mind behind Afterschool directing a high-profile Netflix production marked minute-for-minute by recognizable faces, not least of which are the current Spider-Man and Batman. Yet major funding and marquee names have not dulled the uncompromising worldview of Antonio Campos, whose latest feature The Devil All the Time—adapting Donald Ray Pollock’s novel of the same name—weaves the decades-long vision of a small Ohio town in bleak (and I mean bleak) registers.

But when photographed by the brilliant Lol Crawley and featuring Robert Pattinson as a predatory southern preacher, The Devil All the Time is hardly some improbable offer. I talked to Campos about his collaborations, the Netflix machine, and something that seems worlds away from his form: laughter.

The Film Stage: When talking to filmmakers who adapt a text, I’m always interested if they can recall the...

HBO Max dropped the trailer for “Class Action Park” Wednesday, a documentary that takes a deep dive into New Jersey’s Action Park, which is “widely regarded as the world’s most dangerous amusement park and a staple of growing up in the New York/New Jersey area in the ’80s and ’90s.”

In the video, which you can view above, stories are told of incidents of electrocution, decapitation, impalement and more at Action Park.

“Nobody should ever be the second person to die in a wave pool,” comedian Chris Gethard says in an interview. “Close the f—ing wave pool!”

Also Read: Fall TV 2020: All the Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows - So Far (Photos)

Per HBO Max, “‘Class Action Park’ is the first-ever feature-length documentary to explore the legend, legacy, and truth behind a place that long ago entered the realm of myth. To some,...

In a 2017 interview on Marc Maron’s Wtf podcast, Metallica’s James Hetfield discussed what compels him to channel his darker emotions into songs. “What it is, is, if I can get it out of my head, it makes it better,” he said. “Better out than in.”

That often goes for the listener, too. There’s something cathartic about hearing an artist purge their anger, grief, or frustration — or some combination of all three — in a song. As Hetfield says, that mere act of releasing the feeling from your head...

Comedians Chris Gethard, Maria Bamford, Wyatt Cenac, and Tyler Davis on Tuesday reflected on the legacy of Carl Reiner, the iconic creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” who died Monday at age 98.

“I mean it’s so hard because he is one of the people who set the bar for what comedy on television and movies is,” Gethard said as part of TheWrap’s “Comedy, Coping, and Change: Finding Humor in Change” webinar, presented by Topic and hosted by TheWrap editor in chief Sharon Waxman. “When you’re that embedded in the history of comedy, it’s kind of hard to point to one thing and instead I think I would just have to say, thank you to him for being one of the people who kind of established what the medium of TV can even be when it comes to comedy.”

The panelists, who all have stand-up specials on the Topic streaming service,...

Chris Gethard’s podcast “Beautiful/Anonymous” is getting the streaming treatment.

Topic, the streaming service from First Look Media, has ordered a four-part series based on the podcast with Gethard set to host. The announcement came during Gethard’s appearance on Topic’s panel “Comedy, Coping & Change: Finding Hope in Humor,” which is part of TheWrap’s Emmy Season Screening Series.

Each episode of the series will see Chris Gethard take the call of one random stranger. The caller may hang up at any time, but Gethard is obligated to speak to them for up to half an hour. Topic describes the series as a “raw, unplanned exchange between a civilian and a master of conversation.”

Past podcast episodes have included a survivor of the Las Vegas mass shooting who turned tragedy into positive action, a mother calling from a children’s hospital awaiting the results of her 10-year-old daughter’s cancer scan,...

Wrestling doc series Dark Side of the Ring has become the highest rated show for Vice TV since its launch four years ago.

The season finale, which aired on May 19, averaged 390,000 live plus three viewers in the 18-49 demographic, which was 15% higher than its previous record, set by the show earlier in the season.

This included a total number of viewers of 626,000 live plus three, up 12% on the previous week’s episode, according to Nielsen. The second season was also up 73% on the first season in the 18-49 demo.

The network, which took over A+E Networks’ H2, launched as Viceland in February 2016 and was rebranded to Vice TV earlier this year.

The second season of Dark Side of the Ring, which is produced by Evan Husney and Jason Eisener at Vice Studios, consists of ten episodes, up from six for season one. The network also launched an aftershow, hosted...

There was, clearly, no expense spared in the making of “Space Force.” Imagining what a Space Force branch of the military might actually look like outside the bounds of President Trump’s imagination (though the show never mentions him by name), the new comedy is a splashy flex of Netflix’s powers. It boasts the co-creator team of Greg Daniels and Steve Carell, whose smash hit “The Office” gained an almost more successful second life when it hit Netflix and won over a whole new generation of TV fans. With Carell at the center of its orbit, “Space Force” features an all-star cast including Lisa Kudrow, John Malkovich, and even the late Fred Willard in the bittersweet role of Carell’s ailing father. Its sets are expansive and slick, gleaming and pristine. Every episode brings new familiar faces, stellar production design, and the kind of confidence that only the total...

Dark Side of the Ring has become one of Vice TV’s biggest ever series. The youth-skewing cable network is now looking to double-down on the wrestling docuseries as well as expand the franchise into new areas.

Morgan Hertzan, Evp & General Manager, Vice TV told Deadline that the show has become a “mega-hit” for the network.

More from Deadline'Dark Side Of The Ring': Vice Bodyslams S2 Opener Of Wrestling Doc Series On YouTube Ahead Of Linear LaunchShowtime Sets Season Premiere Dates For 'Billions', 'Black Monday', 'The Chi', 'Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels' & 'Vice' - TCANetflix & Pulse Films Get Legal Letter About Copyright Breach On Documentary 'Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator'

“We are eagerly looking forward to explore more ways to do more episodes of Dark Side of the Ring and Dark Side of other strands,” he said. “We also are looking at all...

With help from leading epidemiology experts and top reporters, science TV personality Bill Nye has launched a series of episodes of his popular Stitcher podcast, “Science Rules! with Bill Nye,” dedicated to explaining information on the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, Covid-19.

The three-month series, published on Tuesdays and Fridays, will feature doctors and reporters from the frontlines of the pandemic, experts on the development of a vaccine, leading analysis on the economic impact and regular listener Q&a episodes.

Nye says the series will provide a fact-checked analysis on the latest news surrounding the pandemic to help listeners remain prepared, informed and calm.

“During this unprecedented public health crisis, it’s important that people get good information, so they can make good decisions for themselves and their families; it’s vital,” Nye said. “We’re working to help our listeners cut through the confusion and learn about the situation from trustworthy experts.

The tragic story of wrestling star Chris Benoit, which is the focus of the season two opener of Vice doc series Dark Side of The Ring, has been rolled out on YouTube ahead of its linear premiere.

The second season of the doc series, which looks at wrestling’s most controversial stories, premieres on Tuesday March 24. However, the first part of the two-part premiere has just gone live on the free streaming service.

More from DeadlineShowtime Sets Season Premiere Dates For 'Billions', 'Black Monday', 'The Chi', 'Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels' & 'Vice' - TCANetflix & Pulse Films Get Legal Letter About Copyright Breach On Documentary 'Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator'Vice All-But Rules Out Further Production Buys, Develops Netflix & Amazon Shows Via Pulse Films

Produced by Vice Studios, the first episode tells the story of one of the biggest names in the sport Benoit, who in 2007, killed...

Vice has set the premiere date for the second season of its wrestling docuseries “Dark Side of the Ring,” which will be a special two-hour episode that tells the story of wrestling icon Chris Benoit, the cable channel announced Tuesday.

According to Vice, “The two-part premiere special episode delves into the tragic story of wrestling superstar Chris Benoit. In 2007, Benoit, one of the biggest names in the sport, killed his wife, Nancy and seven year old son Daniel before hanging himself in a crime that shocked the world and sparked a conversation about mental health in sports that continues today. The documentary offers unprecedented access to Benoit’s inner circle of family and friends, who reveal their complicated feelings about the tragedy 13 years later including his son, David: ‘That definitely was not him. He’s still my hero,’ and Sandra Toffoloni, Nancy Benoit’s sister: ‘I think I do, someday want to forgive him…...

Vice has announced that the second season of its popular series “Dark Side of the Ring” will return this month.

Season 2 of the show, which goes behind the scenes of some of the most controversial stories in pro wrestling, will debut on March 24 at 9 p.m. Et/Pt. The two-hour season premiere will delve into the story of Chris Benoit, who killed his wife, Nancy, and son, Daniel, in 2007 before committing suicide. The episode will feature interview’s with Benoit’s family and friends, including his other son, David, and Sandra Toffoloni, Nancy Benoit’s sister.

The season will also feature episodes on: the murder of Dino Bravo; the “Brawl for All” tournament that led to career-ending injuries; the career of Ecw star New Jack; David Schultz’s violent run-in with a 20/20 reporter; the death of Nancy Argentino, Jimmy Snuka’s girlfirend; the story of tag team wrestling legends Hawk...

Comedy Central has ordered a second season of “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens” ahead of the coming-of-age comedy’s series premiere on January 22.

The announcement continues what has been an especially busy January for actress and rapper Nora “Awkwafina” Lum, who received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress earlier in the month for “The Farewell.” Awkwafina, series co-stars Bd Wong, Bowen Yang, Lori Tan Chinn, and executive producers Lucia Aniello, Karey Dornetto, and Teresa Hsiao took the stage at the Television Critics 20202 Winter Press Tour in Pasadena Tuesday morning to discuss the upcoming series, Asian representation in entertainment, and Awkwafina’s reactions to her Oscars snub earlier in the week.

While Awkwafina has enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom due to her musical work and in appearances in films such as “Crazy Rich Asians,” her upcoming Comedy Central series, which she also executive produced, promises a relatable and self-deprecating...

Just a day after the Oscar snub for her Golden Globe winning performance in Lulu Wang’s critically acclaimed film The Farewell, Awkwafina couldn’t escape the topic even though she was at TCA to discuss the new Comedy Central series Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens.

Awkwafina said that after the Academy Award nominations were revealed, The Farewell family had a couple of text exchanges, but that overall she’s just grateful for the journey. “We appreciated the run of the film since it came out last January at Sundance and all the attention it’s gotten,” Awkwafina said. She points out that all the Oscar nominations were warranted, with incredible films this year — specifically, ones helmed by women (including The Farewell). Nonetheless, Awkwafina said, “I feel very grateful where we’ve come from.”

Awkwafina is now embarking on a new TV journey with her show Nora From Queens, which...

Tony Sokol Dec 17, 2019

National Lampoon Radio Hour version 2.0 will recreate the relevance of irreverence, promises Evan Shapiro.

National Lampoon magazine will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020, and its sonic counterpart, the National Lampoon Radio Hour is being rebooted for the 21st century. Starting on Dec. 19, the iconic sketch comedy troupe which introduced the world to John Belushi, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Harold Ramis, Christopher Guest, and Gilda Radner will produce a new, original 11-episode scripted podcast.

The new National Lampoon Radio Hour is being shaped by head writer Cole Escola and senior writer Jo Firestone. It will be performed by a new generation of groundbreaking comedians coming from the New York alt-comedy scene. The podcast will also feature guest comedians Rachel Dratch, Amy Sedaris, Julie Klausner, Jordan Klepper and Chris Gethard.

The cast includes Andy Kaufman Comedy winner Brett Davis (Podcast For Laundry), Rachel Pegram, Alex English, Maeve Higgins, Aaron Jackson,...

Tony Sokol Dec 5, 2019

Rachel Dratch, Amy Sedaris and Jordan Klepper will guest star on the new National Lampoon Radio Hour podcast.

While much of the comedy world circumnavigates around the perilous waters of microagressions, there is at least one laughter delivery system which sails straight into it. Coming from an irreverent tradition which included an album called That's Not Funny, That's Sick, National Lampoon provides gags for an audience who can take a joke. They promise that now, as much as ever, is "time for a good laugh, again."

Starting on Dec. 19, National Lampoon Radio Hour, the iconic comedy show that introduced the world to John Belushi, Bill Murray and Gilda Radner returns to celebrate "the next generation of young, diverse comedic superstars," according to their press. They will produce a new, original 11-episode scripted podcast featuring special guests like Rachel Dratch, Amy Sedaris, Julie Klausner, Jordan Klepper and Chris Gethard.

Awkwafina is Nora from Queens in the trailer for Comedy Central’s upcoming series, “Awkwafina is Nora From Queens,” a girl who has a lot of growing up to do, even though she’s already a grown-up.

Released on Monday, the sneak peek gives fans a look at the half-hour scripted comedy, which is loosely based on Awkwafina’s (real name Nora Lum) real-life growing up in Flushing, New York. Raised by her dad (Bd Wong) and grandma (Lori Tan Chinn) alongside her cousin (Bowen Yang), Nora leans on her family as she navigates life and young adulthood in outer borough-nyc.

Along with the trailer and premiere date, Comedy Central also unveiled the show’s Season 1 guest stars, which includes Celia Au, Matthew Broussard, Michelle Buteau, Jamie Chung, Laverne Cox, Deborah S. Craig, Makeda Declet, Jennifer Esposito, Chrissie Fit, Chris Gethard, Bella Heathcote, Carmen M. Herlihy, Stephanie Hsu, David Krumholtz,...

On Monday, Comedy Central released the official trailer for “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens,” the highly-anticipated sitcom created by and starring rapper-actress Awkwafina.

Inspired by Awkwafina’s real-life experiences growing up in Flushing, Queens, “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens” follows twentysomething Nora Lin (Awkwafina) as she attempts to find a purpose in her life and clumsily navigate her way through young adulthood. All while she still lives with her dad (Bd Wong) and possibly over-supportive grandmother (Lori Tan Chinn).

In the trailer, which you can watch below, Nora sobs as she confides in her friend Chenise (Makeda Declet). “I wish I had purpose like you, you dumb b****,” she cries. So it’s time for Nora to find a suitable job, but if it were just that easy, Nora wouldn’t exactly be where she is now. After all, as she tells her cousin (Bowen Yang), she doesn’t even know her social security number.

In today’s TV news roundup, “Grey’s Anatomy” star T.R. Knight joins HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant” and Bet renewed “Games People Play.”

Casting

T.R Knight has been cast in HBO Max‘s dark comedy “The Flight Attendant.“ Knight will play Cassie’s (Kaley Cuoco) older brother, Davey. When Cassie’s life starts to unravel, Davey deals with the fallout.

Daryl McCormack has been cast opposite Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”) in “The Wheel of Time” series adaptation at Amazon, Variety has learned exclusively. McCormack is said to be appearing in three episodes of the show in an undisclosed role. The Irish actor currently recurs on “Peaky Blinders” and is repped by Echo Lake Entertainment, Independent Talent Group in the U.K., and Lisa Richards Agency in Ireland.

Renewals

Bet has renewed “Games People Play” starring Lauren London, Sarunas J. Jackson, Parker McKenna Posey, Karen Obilom and Jackie Long for a second season.

Just because comedians are laughing on stage doesn’t mean they are smiling behind the curtain.

In Laughing Matters, a new 30-minute documentary, 12 comedians speak candidly about their mental health struggles, showing that there are often dark lows lurking beneath the highs of comedic performance.

To help start the conversation, Sarah Silverman, 48, opens up about her battle with depression.

“All of us learn a skill set inherently as children that gets us through childhood,” says Sarah Silverman. “One hundred percent of comedians become comedians because somewhere in their childhood they needed to be funny in order to survive.”

Silverman reveals...

Starting October 10 — World Mental Health Day — HBO is adding mental health awareness disclaimers, called “bumpers”, to select episodes of its programming, including from shows like “Euphoria”, “Barry”, and “The Sopranos”. These bumpers will specifically occur before episodes that feature scenes of mental illness, as well as provide the phone number for a mental health hotline (1.833.HBO.Nami) for viewers to call for help with related issues.

The bumpers are all part of HBO’s new “It’s Ok” initiative and its aim to raise awareness and destigmatize the conversation surrounding mental health. According to a statement released by HBO, with It’s Ok, the cable network will “highlight a diversity of characters seen throughout the network’s series whose stories can help to normalize the conversation.”

“HBO has always been at the forefront of telling stories featuring complex characters, some of whom deal with mental illness, from ‘The Sopranos to ‘Euphoria,...

HBO is adding brief messages to the beginning of select television episodes that include scenes of mental illness. The disclaimers, called “bumpers,” provide a mental health hotline to call if viewers are in need of help.

These 10-second long bumpers are part of HBO’s new initiative, “It’s Ok,” which aims to destigmatize conversations around mental health. Starting Oct. 10, World Mental Health Day, the bumpers will appear before episodes featuring scenes in characters grapple with mental illness, and note which topics the episode touches on — such as bipolar disorder, substance abuse or depression — followed by this message: “If you or someone you know is in need of help, please call 1-833-hbo-Nami.”

The National Alliance on Mental Health (Nami), and its local affiliate Nami NYC partnered with HBO to create the bumpers, which will air in front of select episodes of HBO’s “Barry,” “Euphoria,” “Girls,” “The Sopranos,...