The Chris Gethard Show

The Chris Gethard Show
Created by Chris Gethard
Written by JD Amato
Noah Forman
Chris Gethard
Dru Johnston
Emma Noble
Directed by JD Amato
Starring Chris Gethard
Shannon O'Neill
Bethany Hall
Murf Meyer
David Bluvband
Juan Niccolon
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Location(s) New York, NY
Running time 60 minutes (MNN)
Broadcast
Original channel MNN (2011-2015)
Fusion (2015-)
Original run June 22, 2011 – Present

The Chris Gethard Show is, according to its website, “the most bizarre and often saddest talk show in New York City.”[1] After starting off as a live show[2] at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, the show moved to cable access on June 22, 2011. It is a call-in and variety show hosted by Chris Gethard that originally aired every Wednesday night at 11:00PM on MNN.[3] but is transitioning to the cable channel Fusion on May, 28th 2015. The show can also be found distributed across the web including on Blip, the web series platform.

The public-access television show is written and produced by Noah Forman, Dru Johnston, J.D. Amato and Chris Gethard. It is directed by J.D. Amato. The show, known for its "no cool kids" atmosphere,[4] has been called "oddly uplifting",[5] a "cult hit,"[6][7] "an often riveting experiment in seat-of-your-pants broadcasting,"[8] and has gained viewers from around the world.[9]

Format

Every episode is one-hour in length and broadcast live. The format is extremely loose, but almost every episode features the panel interacting with callers. Episodes are usually based around a call-in topic, a game, or occasionally a plot.

Cast and crew

Panelists

Chris Gethard

Chris Gethard is the host of the show. He has a habit of putting himself in painful and/ or degrading situations as evidenced in the episodes: "The Wiffle Bat Gang Episode", "The Kickboxer Episode", "The Human Crane Episode", "Sibling Rivalry", "Random Andrew and The Hero’s Journey", "The Dominatrix" and "The Hintmaster Show". He has appeared in studio on all but seven episodes.

David Bluvband

David Bluvband used to appear in nearly every episode in-character as The Human Fish. The Human Fish[8] is a half man, half fish hybrid who recently emerged from the sea in order to learn about this world of men. He always has something on his mind, often phrased in an x vs. y format.[10] He always wears his signature goggles, blue swimming trunks and flippers. The only exception to this is when he briefly joined an enemy of the show, "The Hintmaster," for two episodes and removed his goggles. During this time, he also had been "taught the English language," and spoke normally. Little else is known about him except that his name is "Mr. Horma" though we don't know his first name. He also has a friend named Ray. The character retired during "Should We Keep Doing The Show", with Bluvband later joining the panel out of character. The Human Fish later returned for the final MNN episode.

Bethany Hall

A performer at the UCB Theatre and the show's stage manager.[10] Bethany is known to all as the nicest, kindest and most rational member of the TCGS cast, often protesting the use of violence against Chris or other members of the show. Starting with "The Mole", Bethany serves as the show's "internet liaison", participating with and speaking for the show's chat room.

Shannon O'Neill

Artistic Director of the UCB Theatre. She hosted "The Last Small Studio Show",[11] "The Great Gethard Look-Alike Extravaganza", "Celebrities, Come Validate Us!", "When the Cat's Away, the Ratz Will Play", and "Paintin' Faces With Diana Kolsky"

Murf Meyer

Otherwise known as The Reservoir Dog, Murf was a member of The Wiffle Bat Gang[12] and has stolen a handle of whiskey from Gimghoul castle.[13] He has the mustache of a cowboy and the haircut of a samurai. During earlier appearances, he dressed in a white button down shirt, black dress pants and a skinny black tie. He proposed to his lover Diana Kolsky at the end of the "First Times" episode. He is known for his rants about The Order of Gimghoul, and his attempts to divulge their secrets.

The Random

The tradition of the Random began in episode 2, "The Episode Where Everything Started",[14] in which a woman called into the show confused as to what the show was even about. She was asked by Chris if she wanted to join the cast, to which she agreed and immediately became a part of the show. Random Jean then became a much loved part of the fabric of the show. When Random Jean had to leave, it was decided that the show will always have a Random on the panel. They had to be a stranger who, before filling the "random" seat, had no previous interactions with the cast or crew, and would remain on the panel for 15 weeks. After Random Jean, seven Randoms; Random Andrew, Random Melissa, Random Ellen, Random Meneasha, Random Maxine, Random Messenger Bag, Random Sandy, and Random Frodo have taken the Random spot on the show. Random Messenger Bag is the first random to be a cast member for more than 15 weeks. This was in episode #106, The Villain's Journey, after Director J.D. Amato forced him to choose between defending Gethard, and restarting his 15 weeks. Messenger Bag later joined the llc. In the last episode of Season Two, Frodo (accompanied by companion TJ) became the first canine random, as well as the first random through Skype. TJ and Frodo were asked to return once the series begins airing on Fusion.

Guest Panelists

Other notable panelists have included, Amy Poehler, Zach Galifianakis, Hannibal Buress, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Bobby Moynihan, Blanche Baker, Matt Besser, Wyatt Cenac, Tami Sagher, Horatio Sanz, Kurt Braunohler, Aidy Bryant, Colt Cabana, Antonio Campos, Kay Cannon, Pat Cassels, Jimmy McMillan, Adam Pally, Grizz Chapman, R. L. Stine, Myq Kaplan, Jordan Klepper, Danny Tamberelli, Nicole Byer, Brady Corbet, Gabe Delahaye, Sean Durkin, Don Fanelli, Jake Fogelnest, Dave Hill, Will Hines, Jesse Lee, Zachary Levi, Joe Machi, Joe Mande, Mike Maronna, Josh Mond, John Mulaney, Griffin Newman, Mike O'Brien, Lennon Parham, DC Pierson, Jeff Rubin, Tom Scharpling, Rich Sommer, Cipha Sounds, Dino Stamatopoulos, Dan St. Germain, John Gemberling, Brian Huskey, James Adomian, Tito Santana, Sal Vulcano and Andrew W.K..

Crew

The Chris Gethard Show has an ever expanding list of people working behind the scenes to make the show possible. Many have worked several jobs on the show. Much of the crew appears on the show, and can be considered just as much a part of the cast as the panelists.

Regular Callers

Other People Who Appear on the Show

Characters

Frequent Characters

Occasional Characters

The llc

The llc is the house band of The Chris Gethard Show. The llc are: Hallie Bulleit (lead vocals, kazoo, percussion), Bill Florio (glockenspiel, vocals), Jon Vafiadis (guitar), Alex Clute/Messenger Bag (guitar[15]) and Mikey Erg on cajon, percussion and vocals. They create original music for every episode of the show and have created themes for many of the recurring sketches. They have also occasionally featured other players, like Mal Blum and Random Melissa.

They write a new song for virtually every episode. Some of their recurring songs are: "The Main Theme", "Persephone Please" (Credits),"The Awkward Song", "Jerkface!", "Why Don’t You Give Us A Call?", "So Glad You Gave Us A Call!", "#HollywoodGethard", "Technical Difficulties" along with themes for: Alyssa, Walter, The Human Fish, Dan Klein, The Wiffle Bat Gang, Bethany, Stellan, Callstead, Don Fanelli, Shannon, The Ratz Carlton, Rob Malone, BananaMan, Mimi, Connor Ratliff, Jersey Dave, Fred From Honolulu and Tracksuit Enforcer.

On November 20, 2013, they announced that they were changing their name from the all-uppercase "LLC" to the lowercase "llc."

Episode List

Transition to Cable

On November 20, 2013, it was announced that Comedy Central had ordered a pilot of the show,[16] but on May 13, 2014 Gethard announced through tumblr that Comedy Central had passed on the show. He also added that the show would not end, and that they were already talking to other networks.[17]

On December 17, 2014, Gethard announced the show would be moving to an unspecified cable network in 2015[18] and would be finishing its run on public access in January. On January 28, during their final broadcast on MNN, Gethard revealed that they will begin airing episodes on Fusion.

References

  1. ↑ The Chris Gethard Show, Retrieved 23-04-2012.
  2. ↑ Scouring the City for a Laugh, The Wall Street Journal, Retrieved 6-11-2012.
  3. ↑ Chris Gethard Show One Year Anniversary on MNN, Retrieved 13-09-2012.
  4. ↑ Last Night, Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, And Others Surprised One Of Their Biggest Fans On Public Television, Retrieved 13-09-2012.
  5. ↑ Brian Raftery The Carson of Cable Access, New York Magazine. Retrieved 13-09-2012.
  6. ↑ Best Presidential Ad Ever: Candidate Announces Campaign On The Simplest Of All Platforms, Retrieved 13-09-2012.
  7. ↑ IFC Developing TV Series Based on Chris Gethard’s ‘Bad Idea I’m About to Do’, Retrieved 13-09-2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Rise of the Anti-Talk Show, The New York Times, Retrieved 6-11-2012.
  9. ↑ Comedian Chris Gethard Talks To Mediaite About Finding The Future Of Entertainment Via Public Access TV, Retrieved 13-09-2012.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Chris Gethard Show: Episode 1, Retrieved 07-09-2012.
  11. ↑ The Chris Gethard Show: Episode 6, Retrieved 07-09-2012.
  12. ↑ The Chris Gethard Show: Episode 5, Retrieved 07-09-2012.
  13. ↑ The Chris Gethard Show: Episode 38, Retrieved 07-09-2012.
  14. ↑ The Chris Gethard Show: Episode 2, Retrieved 07-09-2012.
  15. ↑ http://www.reddit.com/r/thechrisgethardshow/comments/1x40hh/tcgs_pilot_behindthescenes_the_llc_warming_up/cf853qb?context=3
  16. ↑ http://www.deadline.com/2013/11/comedy-central-orders-pilot-for-new-york-public-access-staple-the-chris-gethard-show-from-funny-or-die-zach-galifianakis/
  17. ↑ http://thechrisgethardshow.tumblr.com/post/85655967646/comedy-central-has-decided-to-not-pick-up-the-chris
  18. ↑ http://splitsider.com/2014/12/the-chris-gethard-show-is-headed-to-cable/

External links