After a year hiatus, Comedy Central’s Nathan For You receives reboot

Comedy Central maintains a strong primetime lineup, with “South Park,” “Key and Peele,” and formerly “The Colbert Report,” stealing most of the spotlight. Lesser known shows on the network are subsequently forced into later showtimes, as was the case for “Nathan For You” when it premiered a few years ago at 10:30 p.m. It debuted nationwide to a third of a million viewers: two-thirds less than that of South Park’s debut. The dynamic of the show may have attributed to the lower amount of viewers. Primetime programs for Comedy Central all contained familiar comedic elements: sketches, sitcoms, and talk shows. “Nathan For You” introduced a satirical-reality concept, which showcased social interactions in comedic situations. Forums and other outlets have expressed their opinions of the show. One comment on Earwolf forums said, “[Nathan Fielder’s] show really is superb. It’s amazing. Fielder’s deadpan delivery is just spectacular.” Central York TV Production teacher Andrew Shumway said, “[It] stands out from other satire is its commitment to a single bit executed in long-form. Most modern satire takes the shape of short-form sketches, such as those on the Daily Show, Saturday Night Live, or Portlandia, that may only last five minutes or less. The fact that a single ‘sketch’ lasts an entire episode makes “Nathan for You,” different than its contemporaries.” Nathan For You’s style of humor brings Shumway to say the audience is “in their 20’s and 30’s, well-educated and politically aware.” Central York High School senior Will Hartzell said the show “sounded awesome” when he first heard about it. “I’ve never really seen a show that uses humor like that,” he said. “He was so awkward with the people he talked to.” Over a year after the first season, Nathan For You doubled its viewers for the premiere of it’s second season. Now, about a year and a half later, “Nathan For You’s” third season is set to air on Thursday, October 15 at 10 p.m. Through Twitter, Nathan shows his excitement: “Put it in your calendar.”

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