This week in comedy: The Colbert Report went wild
December 13, 2014 Max Freedman This Week In Comedy
The Colbert Report is consistently over-the-top hilarious, but this week it may have peaked yet again. None other than President Obama himself filled in for the titular host for Tuesday night’s show, and the results were funnier than anything imaginable. Later, future Late Late Show host James Corden stopped by to get some fatherly advice on how to best host a late night show, since he’ll be in the slot after Colbert next year. More details on some realted late night circuit developments below, but before that, watch Colbert interview a dragon. Yes, a DRAGON. The Colbert Report is looking like it’ll go out on a serious high note, especially since Smaug the Dragon, Colbert’s interviewee, is conservative. Every single thing about that statement, in the context of the show, is almost painfully funny. Of course, lots of laughs were had outside Colbert Nation this week as well:
– SNL tends to keep some of its funniest moments out of the main show, choosing to relegate some of their best sketches to the archives. It’s usually pretty great, then, when the cut sketches are published, as was the case with this week. Check out the show’s take on the Ferguson debacle via an awkward morning show.
– Is it a comedy tour or a music tour when Bo Burnham hits the road? It’s probably both (okay, more the former than the latter), but you can find out for yourself in 2015 when he travels around the states and Canada.
– Back to SNL, though. James Franco hosted this past week’s episode; find out our thoughts on it here. If you’re more interested in gaining some foresight towards this weekend’s upcoming episode, check out Martin Freeman’s promos with Kate McKinney.
– Both of Nick Kroll’s shows will end soon, we learned this week. Last week’s announcement that the third season of his self-titled Kroll Show would be its last was followed by the announcement that The League, in which he stars, will air its final, thirteen-episode seventh season next year. If you’re not ready to lose Kroll quite yet, you can buy Kroll Show’s first two seasons on DVD now, which is cool.
– We here at The Laugh Button have worked with Rachel Feinstein in the past, and it turns out we’re not the only ones who enjoy doing so. Amy Schumer will produce a Comedy Central pilot for Feinstein, and we’re already hyped.
– Oh, and speaking of Amy Schumer, guess who’s hosting next year’s MTV Movie Awards on April 12? (Hint: it’s Amy Schumer.)
– To increase the hype for Robert Kelly’s new stand-up special, an air date was finally announced this week. Live at the Village Underground is set to premiere January 9, and the excitement is now palpable.
– Despite low ratings, Playing House will return for a second season next fall. It’s a while away, but in that long time, it might be fun to revisit its underrated first season.
– More renewals! TruTV has ordered a second season of Friends of the People. This choice continues TruTV’s planned move towards more scripted shows instead of reality TV.
– Did someone say renewals? Adult Swim has picked up Mr. Pickles, Black Jesus, and Mike Tyson Mysteries for second seasons as well. Black Jesus in particular has gotten a whole lot of attention, so it’ll be exciting to see where this choice goes.
– Next summer, we’ll be graced by the presence of a new Pixar film, Inside Out. How does this relate to comedy, you ask? If Amy Poehler and Bill Hader as voice actors doesn’t grab your attention, then watch the trailer here.
– May 20 isn’t that far away, right? That’s when Letterman will step down, even though the headlines make it seem much sooner. No word yet on when Colbert will step in, though.
– Last week’s coolest news was quite possibly the announcement that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would co-host the 2015 Golden Globes for the third time in a row. More news in the Globe world this week: Best TV Comedy was only one of the many categories for which next year’s nominations were announced.
– More news about 2015: ABC will work with Dan Fogelman next year! Rumor has it that the network has fast tracked his NBA sitcom, actually.
– What’d you expect? Workaholics‘ season five trailer is beyond glorious. Watch it all the way until the end for maximum laughter. Totally worth it.
– Check out Mo Mandel’s stand-up set on Conan to justify your guilty pleasure for Enrique Iglesias.
– How is it already Season 4 of Comedy Bang! Bang!? This show still feels new. It’s just that good. Actually, it’s set to get better: Kid Cudi and Ty Burrell are among next season’s guests. Tune in to IFC at 9pm January 9 to get the ball rolling. The show’s incredible host, Reggie Watts, has an interesting future beyond this date: this week, we learned that he’ll be Late Late Show‘s bandleader once James Corden takes over March 23.
– It might seem a bit hectic to keep track of all the details of an 18-day, 20-venue comedy festival, but now you can do just that when looking forward to next year’s SF Sketchfest. All the details are available, so take a gander if you dare.
– We report on late night talk show happenings a lot, so we were excited to hear this week that TLC is dipping their feet into this pool. The network will play home to Margaret Cho and Heather McDonald’s new show All About Sex.
– Ever wondered if Christmas might be racist? This isn’t a straightforward question: each country does the holiday differently, but Amber Ruffin’s visit to Late Night with Seth Meyers convinced us that some Dutch yuletide traditions are pretty troubling.
– Six seasons and a movie? How about an entirely new Donald Glover series? After a year or so of working towards this goal, FX announced recently that they’ve ordered the pilot for his series Atlanta, his self-starring creation.
