Jeff Dunham’s TV show debuts Oct. 22 on Comedy Central
The man Slate calls “America’s favorite comedian” and his suitcase posse of comedic cohorts open new vistas of ongoing hilarity as his TV series, “The Jeff Dunham Show,” readies for its Oct, 22 premiere on Comedy Central.
Billed as a “reality comedy show,” it is expected to be a hit on the cable channel, where Dunham scored the most-watched telecast in Comedy Central history last year with his “Very Special Christmas Special,” which drew some 6.6 million viewers in its debut airing.
Described in a recent Time feature article as “perhaps the most popular comedian in the U.S.,” Dunham continues to pack and sell out venues on his ongoing tour that has made him the top-grossing standup act in America, according to Pollstar.
Dunham “had the crowd on their feet” and won “a deafening roar from the audience,” says the Burlington Free Press of a recent show, hailing the comic as “amazingly talented.”
Dunham’s ascension into the pantheon of top entertainers was recently confirmed by Forbes, which ranked him a top earner in its Celebrity 100 list. His three DVDs - “Arguing With Myself,” “Spark of Insanity” and the holiday special – have sold more than 4 million copies (and continue to rack up brisk sales), and he boasts some 350 million views of his clips on YouTube.
The only comic named “Ventriloquist of the Year” twice, Dunham recently struck a multi-platform deal with Comedy Central and content partnerships with iTunes and Amazon.com. His first comedy album, “Don’t Come Home For Christmas,” was No. 1 in comedy sales and on Amazon and hit the Billboard Independent Album charts in the Top 10. His best-selling line of merchandise recently rolled out into retail stores across the nation, and he follows the debut of his series with his first book, “All By My Selves Walter, Peanut, Achmed, and Me,” being published by Dutton in the spring of 2010.
Among the many secrets to Dunham’s success is, first, his across-the-board consumer appeal. As the Minneapolis Star-Tribune notes, “When you glance around at a Dunham audience, you’ll see a cross-section of folks: Comedy Central-viewing teenagers, khaki-sporting parents and even some grandparents.” Then there’s the believability of his hilarious sidekicks: “The dummies are amazingly life-like, so much so that they seem convinced of it themselves.”
With Dunham and his characters soon hitting the TV screen every week in the new series – which includes such scenes as Achmed the Dead Terrorist (who boasts the fourth most-watched online video clip ever - the comedian will no doubt soar even higher in popularity in the months to come. As Dunham told Time of his ingenious act, “I knew if we could let the masses see it and not just the comedy-club fans, then it would explode.”
Jeff Dunham tour dates:
Sept 18 Allegan County Fair Allegan, MI
Sept 19 York Fair York, PA
Oct 8 Covelli Centre Youngstown, OH
Oct 9 Lucas Arena Toledo, OH
Oct 10 Peoria Civic Center Peoria, IL
Oct 11 Mizzou Arena Columbia, MO
Oct 23 Sovereign Bank Arena Trenton, NJ
Oct 24 Glen Falls Civic Center Glen Falls NY (2 shows)
Oct 25 1st Mariner Arena Baltimore, MD
Nov 6 State Theatre Sydney, Australia
Nov 8 State Theatre Sydney, Australia
Nov 9 Hamer Hall Melbourne, Australia
Nov 10 Hamer Hall Melbourne, Australia
Nov 12 Tacoma Dome Tacoma, WA
Nov 13 Memorial Coliseum Portland, OR
Nov 14 Washington State Univeristy Pullman, WA
Nov 15 Yakima Valley SunDome Yakima, WA
Nov 27 US Airways Center Phoenix, AZ
Nov 28 Honda Center Anaheim, CA
Dec 26 BJCC Birmingham, AL
Dec 27 Sommet Center Nashville, TN
Dec 28 Philips Arena Atlanta, GA
Dec 29 Thompson Boling Arena Knoxville, TN
Dec 30 Bi-Lo Center Greenville, SC
Dec 31 Time Warner Cable Arena Charlotte, NC
-BAM
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