Netflix announces roster for 'The Comedy Lineup'
Netflix is bringing out a special series which its viewers will be able to watch in between work. Filmed in front of an intimate crowd at Atlanta's historic Terminal West, a group of quick-witted fiercely funny individuals will be seen taking comedy to a whole new level as they take the mic for a series of 15-minute stand-up sets.
As reported by refinery29, the lineup for the specials includes Aisling Bea, Michelle Buteau, Tim Dillon, JR De Guzman, Janelle James, Josh Johnson, Taylor Tomlinson, Phil Wang, Emma Willmann, Jak Knight, Matteo Lane, Max Silvestri, Sam Jay, Ian Karmel, and Kate Willett. All of them are people who have worked in comedy, either writing for well established shows or appearing on them at different times.
Ian Karmel writes for 'The Late Late Show' with James Corden while Sam Jay is one of the writers for the 2017 batch of 'Saturday Night Live'.
Michelle Buteau has recently announced that she will be spearheading her own WNYC podcast, after being a regular on WYNC's 'Two Dope Queens'. Taylor Tomlinson and Josh Johnson have made their Conan debut last year, while Janelle James is a writer on the BET late night show 'The Rundown with Robin Thede'. While most of them are well-established, Michelle Buteau, Sam Jay, Tim Dillon, and Josh Johnson have already taped Comedy Central half hours.
The Vulture reported that the move represents Netflix's "continued investment in stand-up comedy". While Netflix has released quite a number of hour-long standup specials already, the focus of which was mostly on the big names, like Sarah Silverman, Dave Chappelle, Amy Schumer, Louis C.K.
As reported by Daily Dot, "It's become a destination for comedy fans who want that marquee access, but it's also experimenting with formats and voices."
As Netflix is known for its range of diversity in both TV and cinema, these quarter-hour specials will now offer a greater diversity of comedy styles, alongside comedians who will meet the differing demands of their audience. A lot like what Comedy Central has done for years now, Netflix's new series will definitely see emerging new talents alongside the already existing big names, like Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Ellen DeGeneres.
What will probably make this Netflix series different from the other comedy shows is its run-time, 15 minutes. Stand-up sets on television usually fall into four categories: 5-minute late-night sets, 7-to-10-minute sets on stand-up showcases, 30-minute stand-up specials, or the hour-long stand-up specials.
As 15 minutes is a standard set length at clubs like L.A.'s Comedy Store and New York's Comedy Cellar, this might be an opportunity for a bigger audience to experience what live stand-up performances usually feel like.
The Comedy Lineup: Part 1 will premiere on Tuesday, July 3, 2018, available globally on Netflix.
