Scott Aukerman Hosts Comedy Death-Ray on IFC

Beginning Monday, January 3, Scott Aukerman hosts a 90-minute block of comedy nerd heaven on IFC.

Not only is IFC broadcasting cult classic comedies The Larry Sanders Show, Arrested Development, The Ben Stiller Show, Undeclared, and Freaks and Geeks, but presenter Aukerman will also be interviewing the shows’ stars.

“IFC seems to like the parts where I'm messing with the people as much as the informational aspects of what I’m doing,” says Aukerman. Among the comedians that he has interviewed for CDR on IFC are Bob Odenkirk, Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo, Sarah Silverman, David Cross, Michael Cera and Ben Stiller.

“IFC is really focused on becoming a comedy network,” says Aukerman. “Maybe what Comedy Central should be.” Aside from a couple of original shows (The Benson Interruption, Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time), Comedy Central is not vigorously programming to appeal to alt comedy fans and the AST crowd. Aukerman credits IFC’s Vice President of Development & Production Dan Pasternack with bringing Comedy Death-Ray to the rapidly metamorphosing network.

No flipping.

The programming and interview block on IFC will run 3 nights a week (Monday-Wednesday), with The Larry Sanders Show broadcasting on each of those nights, and a rotation of the other shows preceding it. Mr. Show is currently slated to run on Friday nights, separate from CDR.

“As of right now, Mr. Show will be at 11pm on Friday nights and there's no plan to move it into the 90 minute block that's curated by CDR Monday-Wednesday,” says Pasternack. “It has to do mostly with the fact that, as an HBO show, its run time is longer than the shows that had been on broadcast television. And, since we're not cutting the shows down to size but rather running them in their entirety (obviously with breaks), Larry Sanders at 11pm at the end of the 90-minute block makes the most sense, and Mr. Show (coming out of our original series premieres) on Friday at 11pm was the best way to go.

“The CDR pieces will certainly include conversations about Mr. Show, and then we'll promote the fact that Mr. Show is on Fridays at 11pm within the block. Of course, things may change but that's the plan and the reasoning for now.”

Comedy Death-Ray on IFC Schedule


MONDAY
10:00pm: Arrested Development
10:30pm: Arrested Development
11:00pm: The Larry Sanders Show

TUESDAY
10:00pm: Freaks and Geeks 
11:00pm: The Larry Sanders Show

WEDNESDAY
10:00pm: Undeclared
10:30pm: The Ben Stiller Show
11:00pm: The Larry Sanders Show

 © 2011 CHRISTINE E. TAYLOR

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