After making a splash with his Saturday Night Live hosting debut last season, standup comedian Nate Bargatze is collaborating with Lorne Michaels on a new project—a primetime special for CBS.
SNL writing partners Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell are also involved in the production. The duo teamed up with Bargatze on his critically-lauded “Washington’s Dream” sketch last season, which has been viewed over 10 million views on YouTube.
The special will be taped at the Grand Ole Opry—where the “Nicest Man in Stand-Up” began his career as an entry level employee—in Nashville, Tennessee on November 21. Per CBS, it will feature Bargatze as a “master of ceremonies,” following him as he guides the audience through a series of stand up, pre-taped comedy shorts, sketches, and musical performances.
“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. “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.”
Michaels’ involvement with the project is notable, not only because it reunites him with Bargazte, but also because it’s unusual for the SNL boss to work with a broadcast network other than NBC. Other executive producers include Erin David and Andrew Singer of Broadway Video, along with Tim Sarkes and Alex Murray of Brillstein Entertainment.
This marks Bargatze’s fifth overall special. His previous works include Full Time Magic on Comedy Central, The Tennessee Kid and The Greatest Average American on Netflix, and Hello World on Amazon Prime.
The new special is set to be broadcast on CBS in December; it will also stream on Paramount+. The special’s title, exact air date, and time will be unveiled at a later date.
