The Chris Gethard Show Moves to TruTV, Will Return to Live Format

TruTV is making a bold, and fabulous move, snatching up The Chris Gethard Show and promising 16 hour long episodes. Wait, it gets better, truTV will air the episodes live, putting TCGS in the history books as the first series to broadcast live on a national cable network. No premiere date has been announced yet, but it looks like we’ll be seeing the first live truTV episode of TCGS sometime in August.

You all know the history of TCGS, with its beginnings on the stage, and then public access in New York City, followed by a move to the Fusion network for two seasons, and along the way cultivating a loyal and large cult following that seems to get bigger with every move. In a statement announcing the news, truTV calls Gethard a national treasure and we couldn’t agree more, and The Chris Gethard Show is the only talk show on television that breaks convention and format so completely that you genuinely have no idea what will happen next. And in many cases, neither does Chris.

The show, which caters to all of us weirdos, freaks, and outsiders who don’t feel quite at home in some of society’s circles, is a three-ring circus of sorts, with characters, callers, stunts, and all kinds of controlled and uncontrolled chaos, and a live studio audience who participate in the show in every way possible. Add to the mix a long list of major celebrity guests who are fans first- Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, P. Diddy, Lena Dunham, and Paul Giamatti to name a few.

Gethard says he’s a fan of truTV and he’s excited about the move. “Myself and the gang from The Chris Gethard Show are thrilled to have a new home on the network and are licking our chops for a chance to match the bar truTV has set the past few years. I also can’t believe they’re letting us do the show live. Kudos to them for embracing what could be a real disaster. My promise to you though is that should it be a disaster, The Chris Gethard Show on truTV will be the most watchable disaster the world has ever seen.”

Chris also addressed the news in an excited email to fans today, proclaiming to TCGS fans, “this is the big one! The thing you’ve been waiting to hear. And I think it’s bigger and better news than any of you were expecting (because it’s bigger and better news than I ever expected!)”  He said that it took lots of backroom dealings, crazy negotiations, and twists and turns to get from TCGS’s last episode in August 2015 to this announcement today. “This is going to be BONKERS to say the least!” he said. Gethard also proclaimed genuine love for the truTV family of performers, specifically mentioning Sal Vulcano who supported TCGS back in its public acessdays, Adam Conover who he knows from UCB, and old friends Jon Glaser and Adam Cayton Holland, all of whom are enjoying successful runs on truTV right now.

If you’re wondering whether there’s any bad blood at the show’s former home, Fusion, there does not seem to be; in fact Gethard thanks them for their support over the past few years.  We’ve missed the series since its last episode in August 2015, but in the interim, Gethard stayed busy creating and performing his one man show in New York City– Chris Gethard: Career Suicide— which is set to debut on HBO this Saturday, May 6 at 10pm.  And Chris also announced he’s going on tour around the country, doing stand up and live tapings of his podcast.

An alum of NYC’s Upright Citizens Brigade, Gethard also hosts the popular, Webby Award-winning podcast Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People. He has also guest-starred on Broad City, Parks and Recreation, The Office, Louie and Inside Amy Schumer, appeared in the features Don’t Think Twice, The Other Guys and The Heat and authored the book, A Bad Idea I’m About to Do: True Tales of Seriously Poor Judgment and Stunningly Awkward Adventure. Basically, he’s a busy guy.

Marissa Ronca, Executive Vice-President of Original Programming for truTV called the series “a perfect addition to a programming slate of creator-driven shows that have distinct points of view.”

The Chris Gethard Show is produced by Funny Or Die, Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Owen Burke, Chris Gethard, J.D. Amato, Anna Wenger and AGI Entertainment Media & Management’s Brian Stern serve as executive producers. truTV, which will debut the series’ third season later this year, acquired the premiere rights to the series from FUSION TV.

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