Comedian Jim Gaffigan has released the first episode of his new sitcom, the appropriately-named Jim Gaffigan Show. The show appears two months before it will be aired on television, an interesting move for the comedian and his channel, TV Land.
The show is available for streaming but not download. Gaffigan followed Louis CK to the web when he released his recent specials as paid downloads and he spoke to us three years ago when his first paid comedy shows appeared online. He will join us on TCTV again next week to talk about life, comedy, and his take on streaming technologies.
This episode features cameos by Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, and Glenn Beck. It features Adam Goldberg and Michael Ian Black as Gaffigan’s buddies and Ashley Williams as his wife, Jeannie.
The move to “test” programming online is an interesting – and bold – one. Television producers are deathly afraid of streaming services like Periscope and Meerkat eating into the exclusivity of their content but I suspect this trial is more about making the show available to a wider audience that is ready for another edgy comedy in the vein of Louie, Louis CK’s oddly meditative sitcom. In essence it cushions the launch of the program and creates a ready-made audience of at-home viewers who are already familiar with the program online. While I doubt Gaffigan needs much help gathering an audience, every little bit helps.