Lights Out with David Spade begins on Comedy Central July 29, leading out of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Spade will offer his humorous take on pop culture and internet trends, and unlike its lead in, will avoid anything political.
“Politics is not Spade’s brand--he doesn’t dip his toe in that,” said exec producer Tom Brunelle. “He has said, a lot of people do it, and do it well.”
Spade has quipped that the only way he’s talking politics on Lights Out is if Cardi B announces a run for Senate.
The show airs Monday through Thursday each week. It is executive produced by Spade, Alex Murray, Marc Gurvitz, Brad Wollack and Brunelle, the latter two the showrunners. Wollack and Brunelle were exec producers on Chelsea Lately on E!
“The show provides a half hour break from the onslaught of politics,” said Brunelle.
Three comedians come on Lights Out daily, and serve as a panel for the pop-culture discussions. The celeb guests will also turn up on FaceTime. Opening night has Neal Brennan, Whitney Cummings and Erik Griffin. July 30, it’s Jen Kirkman, Theo Von, Amy Schumer and Nick Swardson. July 31, it’s Steve Byrne, Kaley Cuoco and Jim Jefferies. On August 1, you’ll see Dana Carvey, Al Madrigal and Sarah Tiana.
“They’ll come sit on the panel, and talk about stuff we’ve all been talking about anyway,” said Brunelle. “They’ll have some fun.”
The show shoots at Sunset Las Palmas in Hollywood. Spade will do a standup bit to open the show. There will be field pieces, and his producers are focused on circulating Lights Out clips after the show wraps on a given day. “In this day and age, you’ve got to get the word out,” said Wollack, mentioning the Lights Out dedicated digital team. “We’ll create a whole digital world online.”
Spade was a cast member on Saturday Night Live in the ‘90s, and starred in the comedies Rules of Engagement and Just Shoot Me! His films include Tommy Boy and Joe Dirt.
Spade hosted The Showbiz Show With David Spade on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2007. The NY Times reported that Comedy Central has research that revealed viewers’ huge affinity for Spade. “Not just familiarity, but affection and love and a desire to see him,” Kent Alterman, Comedy Central president, told the Times. “On the one hand it wasn’t surprising, and on the other hand it was like off the charts.”
Spade has been in Hollywood forever, and his showrunners mention that he is friends with a bunch of late-night hosts, including Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and Conan O’Brien. The hosts are disappointed to see Spade launch a show, they said, as one of their best guests may be too busy to turn up on their show.
It’s hard to imagine a late-night host not talking about President Trump, but that’s the game plan at Lights Out with David Spade. “You can relax while watching the Spade show,” said Brunelle, “and not dream about the Mueller report when you go to bed.”
