Ever since Stephen Colbert left for CBS in 2014, Comedy Central has struggled to find a suitable lead-out program to The Daily Show.
After two short-lived efforts, the network is hoping the third time is the charm, signing David Spade to star in a new 11:30 p.m. late-night series.
In the new show, Spade will tackle pop culture, but not politics, Comedy Central president Kent Alterman said Monday at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif.
The series, which doesn’t yet have a name, will debut later this year and include “a rotating group of Spade’s comedian and celebrity friends, while also incorporating field segments that mirror his popular Instagram stories,” the network said in a statement.
In his video announcement, Spade said, “We’re going to cover everything: pop culture, whatever’s funny, whatever’s stupid, whatever’s dumb. It’ll be me and my stupid friends.”
However, “there will be no politics—mostly because I’m too stupid,” said Spade. He added, “This is going to be a great show, people. Don’t let me fool you!”
It will be Comedy Central’s third attempt to find a companion series to The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, which is now the No. 1 late-night show among males 18-34.
Last June, Comedy Central pulled the plug on The Opposition With Jordan Klepper, which had run for nine months and satirized hyperbolic alt-media outlets like Breitbart and Infowars.
The Opposition was the second 11:30 p.m. show to have a short-lived Comedy Central run since The Colbert Report signed off in December 2014 as Colbert prepared to take over The Late Show. The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore was canceled in August 2016 after an 18-month run.
In other Comedy Central news, the network renewed freshman series The Other Two for a second season and revived Crank Yankers, its prank puppet series from Jimmy Kimmel. This time around, the puppets’ pranks will include phones, social media, esports and other platforms.
“Crank Yankershas always been my favorite show to make. Nothing is more fun or makes me laugh harder than a great crank call and I am thrilled that Comedy Central asked us to do it again,” Kimmel said in a statement.
by Jason Lynch, Adweek’s TV/Media Editor
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