truTV Sets Spring Premiere Dates for New and Returning Series, Including “The Carbonaro Effect” and “truInside”
Network also Greenlights New Series “Late Night Snack”
truTV, a division of Turner, unveiled premiere dates for its upcoming spring lineup, including the return of hit hidden-camera comedy series The Carbonaro Effect (March 23) and the humorous and practical life-hack series Hack My Life (March 29), as well as the launch of the new comedy-centric documentary series truInside (Feb. 29), the bite-size content comedy series Late Night Snack (March 3) and the comedic competition Comedy Knockout (April 21). Here’s a complete rundown:
Monday, Feb. 29, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) – truInside (Series Premiere)
truTV’s comedy-centric documentary anthology series (previously announced as truOriginals: Inside Iconic Comedy) delves into the untold tales behind comedy icons – the films, clubs, and performers – that have kept audiences laughing for decades. These rarely heard stories are told directly by the people who were on the inside, sharing the truth about how it all got so damn funny. The 10 episode first season will tackle the films Airplane!, Election, Bridesmaids, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Jerk, Tommy Boy, Bull Durham and Heathers, as well as talent breeding grounds The Groundlings and The Comedy Cellar. Interviewees in the first season include David and Jerry Zucker, Carl Reiner, Maya Rudolph, Robert Hays, Amy Heckerling, Weird Al Yankovic, Judge Reinhold , Michael Eisner and many others.
truInside is produced by Left/Right with Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman, and Anneka Jones on board as executive producers, and Michael LaHaie serving as co-executive producer.
Thursday, March 3, at 11 p.m. (ET/PT) – Late Night Snack (Series Premiere)
A sampler of the freshest, funniest short-form comedy that has never been seen before, the series lets the viewer do their channel surfing without ever leaving truTV. This half-hour block delivers an exciting, hilarious carousel of premium comedy segments curated by and premiering on truTV – before any of it ever hits the internet. truTV will premiere 10 episodes of Late Night Snack, with the following shorts included:
Alec Baldwin’s Love Ride: Renowned International Relationship Expert Alec Baldwin takes surprised but game couples for a ride in his office/limo, learning their stories and providing them with hilarious (and sometimes poignant) relationship advice. Alec’s famous & funny friends also join in the action, following the star and his “Love Ride” closely behind in a separate car and offering their own advice in Alec’s unending quest to save all relationships on Earth. Produced by Above Average and El Dorado Pictures.
Austin Martinez Comedy: New York-based comedy duo Molly Austin and Shamikah Martinez create original characters and songs with topics ranging from manliness to how much of that marijuana brownie you should really eat. Produced by Mad Pictures.
Benjamin the Cat: Human-sized cat mascot Benjamin the Cat made his debut on Impractical Jokers and has since become a fan favorite. Now in his own series of shorts, fans follow Benjamin’s exploits as he tries holding down a real person job in an office filled with humans – something he quickly learns is easier said than done. Produced by North South.
· Celebrity Storytelling (working title): A series of animated shorts during which famous Hollywood actors, comedians and musicians recall (and often disremember or completely fabricate) the greatest childhood stories, fairy tales and literary classics of all time. The celebrities struggle to recall well-known literary tales completely from memory, with their recollections brought to life through an assortment of unique animation styles. Produced by Ben Kalina and Dave Newberg of Titmouse Animation.
Cocktales with Little Esther: A chat show in which comedian Esther Povitsky sits down with a group of fellow female comics for a fun and silly chat about our often awkward relationship with sex. Produced by Two Trick Pony in partnership with Above Average.
D-Sides: It ain’t easy running D-Sides, a failing record store that boasts one of the rarest collections of long-lost and never-before-heard records from the world’s most famous artists. And when a rival hipster record store moves in next door stealing D-Sides’ business, best friends and owners, Neil (Neil Hopkins, Lost) and John (John Forest, Young Adult), make a play to save their store. Each week they unveil a rare gem (D-side) in the form of a music video that will blow any music lover away. Executive Produced by Krysia Plonka & Tracey Baird of Thank You Brain! Productions.
Found Footage Files: Childhood friends, lifelong video collectors and VHS purists Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (Late Show with David Letterman) report on location from the site of their favorite VHS finds. Thrift stores, storage lockers and public access stations serve as the backdrop as the duo introduces clips from these long-lost video relics, telling the stories behind the tapes and offering up their comedic observations from over 20 years in the video trenches. Produced by Found Footage Festival.
Passive Aggressive History: A comedic look at defining moments in history through the imagined petty conversations of the legendary individuals who lived them. Whether it’s the infighting crew of the Apollo 11 or the frenemies of colonial Salem, the series chronicles every eye roll, backhanded compliment, and clench-toothed smile behind the iconic events that shaped our world. Produced by Lost Moon Radio.
Reign of Terror: Written by Kathreen Khavari and Chuck Neal, this short follows a roundtable discussion of several eclectic characters – all played by Khavari – that keeps veering off-track. Produced by LDM & Brain of Terror LLC.
The Screen Test: From Edmond Hawkins, a comedy where actors are misdirected and pushed to extremes on an audition that, unbeknownst to them, will be used as the final product of a televised comedic short. Produced by Carbine Entertainment.
Don’t Be That Guy (with Tripp & Tyler): Based on a handful of sketches called, “Don’t Be That Guy,” the series follows Tripp & Tyler as they make some of life’s easiest situations difficult. How far will Tripp go to get the perfect Instagram photo of his latte? How many different tactics does Tyler have up his sleeve for getting out of a boring conversation at a party? All of the sketches are highly relatable to most normal people who find themselves alive in America in 2016. Produced by Green Tricycles Studios.
Hope and Randy (working title): A quirky, irreverent, romantic comedy about the sweet and awkward sexual explorations of a pair of 24 year-olds in their first serious relationship. Produced by Two Trick Pony in association with Maker Studios.
Wednesday, March 23, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) – The Carbonaro Effect (Season 2 Mid-Season Premiere)
Magician by trade but a trickster at heart, Michael Carbonaro is back with 13 brand new episodes of his unique hidden-camera comedy series. This season, the unsuspecting public is amazed by his increasingly inventive surprises. Jaws will drop when Michael convinces people that cyborgs walk among us, that a man morphs into a pig, or that humans are delivered by drones. In the first half of season 2, the series averaged more than 1.1 million viewers and ranked as a top ten show in its time period among cable entertainment networks among men 18-34 and adults 18-34.
The Carbonaro Effect is produced for truTV by Fields Entertainment, with Simon Fields & Michael Carbonaro serving as executive producers.
Tuesday, March 29, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) – Hack My Life (Season 2 Mid-Season Premiere)
Hack My Life returns with 10 additional half hour episodes that will provide a comedic spin on the never-ending supply of everyday life hacks. Hosted by Kevin Pereira and Brooke Van Poppelen, the series demonstrates step-by-step how to incorporate eye-popping shortcuts and cheats guaranteed to save today’s busy adults a lot of time, effort and money. From parenting and getting through the workday, to vacations and parties, viewers’ lives will never be the same again. In the upcoming episodes, Kevin and Brooke will explore a whole new world of hacks for the first time when they “game the system”, giving viewers hacks to get the most out of their everyday interactions, including perks at restaurants, bonuses at the car dealership, and safe passage past bouncers at nightclubs.
In its first season, Hack My Life ranked among the Top 10 cable entertainment programs in its timeslot with men 18-34 and is produced by True Entertainment.
Thursday, April 21, at 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT) – Comedy Knockout (Series Premiere)
Comedy Knockout pits comedians against each other in a series of fast-paced challenges, with the audience having sole discretion to decide who is the funniest person in the room. In each of the 10 half-hour episodes, host Damien Lemon (Guy Code) sends three comics into a battle of high stakes comedic gameplay. With points doled out based on the audience’s applause, it’s all about one-upmanship as competitors attempt to land massive comedy blows and whip the rowdy crowd into a frenzy of raucous laughter. The whole time, the comedians throw roast-like, rapid-fire jabs at each other to knock their opponents off balance. Every show ends with one comedian crowned champion, one eliminated and one ultimately forced to face the crowd and apologize for going down in shameful defeat. Guest comedians this season will include Jim Norton, Sherrod Small, Kevin Barnett, Jamie Lee and many more.
Comedy Knockout is produced by Embassy Row with 3 Arts Entertainment, with Michael Davies, Amanda McPhillips, Julia Cassidy, Mo Mandel, Tim Fornara, Josh Lieberman and Greg Walter as executive producers. Series concept by Mo Mandel.
truTV | David
kathy prokop says
really enjoyed watching hack my life. liked all the short cuts that this show taught us. bring it back to cable