Undeniably, Comedy Central's
The Daily Show has opened doors for many of its cast members.
Steve Carell and
Ed Helms, both of whom gained fame for their work on the satirical television series, are now costarring on NBC's
The Office. Rob Corddry is busy with his growing film career and Stephen Colbert is now the host of his own late night talk show,
The Colbert Report, a spin-off series that satirizes personality-driven political pundit programs.
Now, another
Daily Show cast member is getting ready to branch out of the series in the hopes of making his own mark on the television world.
Demetri Martin, known on
The Daily Show as a contributor and host of a segment called “Trendspotting,” will be hosting a sketch-variety show
Important Things with Demetri Martin. In a format similar to that of
Chappelle's Show and
Mind of Mencia, the series will have Martin alternating between taped sketches and stand-up performances in front of a studio audience.
"Demetri Martin is truly an original," Lauren Corrao, Comedy Central's executive vice president for original programming and development, said. "He's the only guy that can take you on a hilarious journey on the importance of apples for thirty minutes and make you laugh and make you think.”
Corrao also said that
Daily Show host Jon Stewart has taken an active role in leading the pilot for Important Things.
"When we were in the throes of postproduction, Jon went into the office and editing room and worked with Demetri on the final cuts," she said. "He's been very involved."
Corrao also clarified that despite the show's format being similar to the network's previous sketch shows, the humor on
Important Things will be distinct, with the pilot putting Demetri Martin's sly, thoughtful manner to use by having all segments focus on “the important things” about various random objects. This style will be applied to the episodes following the pilot.
Important Things will be produced by Busboy, the same company behind
The Colbert Report. It is slated to premiere in the second half of 2008.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Hollywood Reporter
(Image Courtesy of Comedy Central)