After nearly four years off the air, “Last Comic Standing” is back on NBC with new judges Roseanne Barr, Keenen Ivory Wayans and Russell Peters, a new host (JB Smoove) and a rejiggered format.
Thursday’s two-hour premiere (9 p.m.) starts with the audition rounds, which this season were by invite-only. One hundred top comics from across the country will be narrowed down to 20 for the semifinals, with the final 10 competing in new challenge rounds meant to test their skills in comedy disciplines like sketch, improv and stand-up. “We want to find the total package,” Smoove says.
“[The challenges] will make you not just a comedian, but a well-rounded entertainer.”
Helping in the challenge rounds will be a cast of guest mentors like Cheryl Hines, Jeff Ross and Wanda Sykes (also a “Last Comic” executive producer), prepping the comics for an interview with Ellen DeGeneres.
This season’s slate includes a mix of young comedians and seasoned vets, all competing for a cash prize and development deal for their own show worth $250,000. “The young comics are hungry. They want this bad,” Smoove says. “The veterans…feel they should be able to beat the young guys — that they deserve it, they’ve been doing it longer.”
Smoove says the judges are “a well-thought out balance,” from the old-school Barr to Wayans, the creator of “In Living Color,” who is likely to tell comics to be more animated.
Peters, a prolific stand-up, has shared a stage with some of the contestants. “He also knows when you’re slacking off, because he just worked with you,” Smoove says.
As host, Smoove is there to give pep talks and get the comics to see what’s important in the competition. “Even if you lose, I want you to win,” he says of his approach. “When you leave here I want people out there watching on TV to say ‘Damn, that guy was funny.’”