| The Earliest Show | |
|---|---|
 Official promotional poster | |
| Genre | Improvisational comedy[1] parody[2] |
| Directed by | Ben Schwartz |
| Starring | Ben Schwartz Lauren Lapkus |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 11-13 minutes[2] |
| Production company | Funny or Die |
| Original release | |
| Release | October 27 – December 6, 2016 |
The Earliest Show is an American comedy web series starring Ben Schwartz and Lauren Lapkus. Produced by Funny or Die, the series was sponsored by Cap'n Crunch cereal as a form of branded content. It follows morning show co-hosts Josh Bath and Sam Newman who must deal with the aftermath of Josh's failed on-air wedding proposal. The show is largely improvised. The Earliest Show premiered on October 27, 2016 and consisted of six episodes.[1][3]
Synopsis[edit]
Josh Bath (Ben Schwartz) and Sam Newman (Lauren Lapkus) are co-hosts of The Earliest Show, which broadcasts at 3:00AM.[2] Josh surprises his girlfriend (Jessica Meraz) with an on-air proposal and begins to unravel emotionally after she rejects him. Each episode follows Josh going through a different stage of grief on-air.[4]
Cast[edit]
- Lauren Lapkus as Samantha Newman, co-host[3]
- Ben Schwartz as Josh Bath, co-host[3]
- Jessica Meraz as Emily Fernandez, Josh's ex-girlfriend[5]
- Joe Hartzler as Marc the producer[6]
- Eugene Cordero as Chef Tommy[2]
- Betsy Sodaro as Katie Veal[2]
- Ryan Stanger performs the in-show commercials for fake products
Guest starring[edit]
- Jake Johnson, Thomas Middleditch, Reggie Watts, Reggie Miller, Pedro Pascal, and Jane Levy as themselves[6]
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Cap'n Crunch had previously worked with Funny or Die and approached Schwartz with an idea for a series meant to target a young demographic.[1][2] He pitched a parody of a morning show based around a co-host whose rejection proposal causes him to spiral. Schwartz also served as the series' director and recruited former Asssscat improv team member Lapkus as his co-host.[7][6] Schwartz studied Today and Live with Kelly to get a sense of morning talk show format, camera work, and set design.[7] Each episode consisted largely of improvisation. An additional episode of over an hour of improvised bloopers was released as episode seven of the series.[2]
Release[edit]
The Earliest Show premiered on Funny Or Die on October 27, 2016, and one episode was released each Tuesday thereafter.[2] The episodes were also released on YouTube. Each episode runs for 11 to 13 minutes. Two additional episodes, one of bloopers and one with extended interviews, were also released.[2]
Accolades[edit]
Schwartz and Lapkus received 2017 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards nominations for acting in the Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Hamedy, Saba (27 October 2016). "Funny or Die launches series with Ben Schwartz, Cap'n Crunch". Mashable. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Grobar, Matt (2017-06-26). "'The Earliest Show's Ben Schwartz Discusses His Short-Form Roots & Finding Guests For A Fake Talk Show". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
- ^ a b c "Cap'n Crunch Just Created a Fake Morning Show That Airs in the Middle of the Night". www.adweek.com. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
- ^ "Afternoon Delight: Let the 'The Earliest Show' Entertain You at the Latest Hour". Decider. 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
- ^ "Rejected Jokes - Episode six of The Earliest Show is up on Funny or..." Rejected Jokes. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
- ^ a b c Greene, Steve (2017-08-17). "Ben Schwartz and Lauren Lapkus Made Up the Internet's Funniest Emmy Nominee As They Went Along". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
- ^ a b Mallenbaum, Carly. "Miss 'Between Two Ferns'? Watch Funny or Die's new talk show parody". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
- ^ "Emmys 2017: Full List of Nominations". Variety. 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
External links[edit]
- The Earliest Show on IMDB
- The Earliest Show on Funny or Die