Sebastian Maniscalco Sets Hulu Comedy Special (Exclusive)
Sebastian Maniscalco is headed to Hulu.
In what is considered a sizable coup for the platform, Maniscalco’s latest hour will debut as part of Hulu’s new standup initiative, which will kick off next month under the headline “Hularious.” The special, which is not yet dated, is expected to tackle what Maniscalco sees as the absurdities of modern life, from nonexistent manners and wallet-winced prices to the chaos of social media. It will be filmed during his top-selling “It Ain’t Right” tour.
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“How many times do you catch yourself thinking, ‘It Ain’t Right’?” he said in a statement Thursday. “This special is my way of uniting us to laugh at the ridiculousness of the world around us, and I’m thrilled to share it with my fans. So, get your sweats on, pop yourself some popcorn, and get ready to laugh.”
Done+Dusted, which produced the 74th Emmy Awards, is on board to produce, with Emmy winner Paul Dugdale (Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour, Adele: One Night Only) directing the special. It comes on the heels of a series of record-setting tour stops for the comic. In fact, Maniscalco managed to set four record with five consecutive sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. For those keeping track, he now holds the title for “most consecutive performances by a comedian,” “most lifetime performances by a comedian,” “highest grosses by a comedian as part of one tour” and “most tickets sold by a comedian on a single tour” at MSG.
Maniscalco made history on the west coast, too, becoming the first comedian to headline the Intuit Dome in L.A.. He also set a new attendance record at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, drawing 19,511 fans to a single comedy show. And like many top comics, he’s parlayed his talent and timing into Hollywood roles, too. He stars in the Chuck Lorre series Bookie for Max, which is currently readying a second season, and he co-wrote and starred in About My Father, a Lionsgate film loosely based on his Italian family experience, in which he acted opposite Robert De Niro, last year. More recently, he’s popped up in John Krasinski’s IF, Jerry Seinfeld’s Unfrosted, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
To be able to lure top comics like Maniscalco away from more established standup rivals like Netflix, Hulu has leaned heavily on the promise of the Disney portfolio and the acting and writing opportunities that come with it. Its curation is said to be another point of leverage. Unlike Netflix, which is still considered the 800-pound gorilla in the space and rolls out specials weekly, Hulu is sticking to a monthly release plan. An hour from Jim Gaffigan will formally kicked off the “Hularious” initiative in November, with others, featuring Bill Burr, Chris Distefano, Ilana Glazer, Jessica Kirson, Matteo Lane, Atsuko Okatsuka and Roy Wood Jr., to follow.
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