Comedy Central unearths Spade show

Viacom-owned US cablenet Comedy Central has commissioned a late-night series with comedian and actor David Spade and ordered a new 20-episode season of comedy series Crank Yankers.

David Spade

Spade (Rules of Engagement, Just Shoot Me) will front a new as-yet untitled series giving his opinion on pop culture news. The show, to air at 23.30, will include his celebrity friends and incorporate segments mirroring his Instagram stories.

The series will follow The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Monday through to Thursday night and will premiere later this year. Spade will exec produce the show alongside Alex Murray and Marc Gurvitz. Free 90 Media’s Brad Wollack and Tom Brunelle will also exec produce and serve as showrunners.

Additionally, Comedy Central is returning to prank show Crank Yankers. Refreshed to cater for a digital audience, the show employs profane puppets to carry out pranks via phone, social media and eSport platforms.

The show, created by Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla and Daniel Kellison, will be the first project under Kimmel’s new production label Kimmelot. Jonathan Kimmel will serve as showrunner and exec produce with Jimmy Kimmel, Carolla and Kellison.

Meanwhile, 30-minute comedy The Other Two has been renewed for a second season. Created and written by former Saturday Night Live head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, the series stars Drew Tarver as a struggling 20-something actor striving for better auditions and Heléne Yorke as his 30-year-old sister.

The network is also developing scripted projects How to be a Couple from Broad City alum Naomi Ekperigin and her partner Andy Beckerman and a series based on Samantha Irby’s book of essays, Meaty.

Based on Ekperigin and Beckerman’s lives, How to be a Couple follows an interracial couple in a polyamorous affair. Ekperigin stars in the series, in addition to writing the pilot with Beckerman.

They are both co-creators and executive producers and Annie Mebane is showrunner and executive producer. The project was originally developed by CBS TV Studios.

Irby’s project, developed with Comedy Central and exec producers Abbi Jacobson and Jessi Klein, follows 20-something Sam as she tries to shrug off failed relationships, an identity crisis, her sexuality and recently diagnosed Crohn’s disease, among other life challenges. Irby writes and exec produces.