Nate Bargatze is going primetime.
The world’s top earning comic, according to Pollstar, has signed on to do his first primetime special, an hour-long, holiday-themed variety show for CBS. Lorne Michaels and his Broadway Video are on board as producers of the hour, which will roll out in December and also stream on Paramount+.
“I’m extremely excited to be creating this special as I have long been a big fan of variety, and we don’t see enough of it,” Bargatze said in a statement announcing the news Monday. “I want to make a great show for families to gather around and watch together and I couldn’t be in better hands than with this team.”
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While many of the details are being kept under wraps, Bargatze intends to film the special Nov. 21 at the iconic Grand Ole Opry, where he got his start in comedy as an entry-level employee. On this night, Bargatze will serve as master of ceremonies, as he guides the in-house audience and viewers at home through a mix of stand-up, sketch, pre-taped bits and musical performances.
The announcement comes as Bargatze continues to expand his footprint beyond standup, unveiling Nateland Entertainment, his family friendly content company, in 2023. The company is expected to produce standup specials as well as scripted fare across film, TV, podcasts and music. Of course, it’s worth noting, Bargatze’s monstrous success is relatively new, but his efforts to parlay his brand of comedy into other arenas are not. In fact, a decade ago, he developed his act into an NBC sitcom with the help of Jimmy Fallon, but the network ultimately passed.
To pull off the holiday variety show, Bargatze is collaborating with Saturday Night Live’s Mikey Day and co-head writer Streeter Seidell, who previously worked with him on his viral SNL sketch, “Washington’s Dream.” The latter was a standout of his well-reviewed hosting stint, which, along with an early 2023 Prime Video special, helped propel Bargatze’s standup career to the upper echelons. During that period, he jumped from theaters to arenas, where he now smashes records at 19,000-seat venues like Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Thus far this year, he’s said to have grossed some $90 million on the road, which recently put him at No. 12 in overall live tour tickets sales alongside music acts like Madonna and U2.
The news arrives as comedy specials continue to be a red-hot market, with many describing it as a rare bright spot in an otherwise bleak entertainment landscape. This one will be exec produced by Michaels, Bargatze, Erin David and Andrew Singer of Broadway Video as well as Tim Sarkes and Alex Murray of Brillstein Entertainment. Bargatze’s next hour of traditional standup will stream on Netflix.
