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Fox teams with SNL’s Lonely Island for late-night sketch show

By Hector Cruz

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: (L-R) Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Andy Samberg of 'The Lonely Island' attend the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: (L-R) Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Andy Samberg of 'The Lonely Island' attend the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images) /
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Fox will launch an all-female late night-sketch show produced by SNL alums The Lonely Island in March

Fox is reentering the late-night game with a new half-hour late-night sketch show called Party Over Here that is set to air on Saturdays starting on March 12 at 11 p.m. The project will be executive produced by comedian Paul Scheer (The League) and The Lonely Island, a comedy group comprised of SNL alum and Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg, as well as Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, who wrote for and were featured in various digital shorts on the NBC series.

According to Variety, the show will cover everything from pop culture to politics and include a combination of “pre-taped shorts and in-studio segments filmed in front of a live audience at L.A.’s Alexandria Hotel.” It will star Nicole Byer (Girl Code), Jessica McKenna (The Goldbergs) and former SNL writer Alison Rich (Angie Tribeca). Scheer, who currently stars on the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, will direct the series in addition to his work as producer.

“When we first conceived this idea, we thought of it as a spin-off of Empire,” The Lonely Island joked in a statement. “We failed miserably … now it’s much more of a sketch comedy show.”

Added Scheer: “In an age where most millennials don’t even know what a TV is, we are really excited to be getting into the TV business.”

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Fox has been one of the only other broadcast networks to air late-night programming on a night that’s been dominated by SNL for the past 40 years, including MADtv, which ended its run in 2009 after 14 seasons, and several animated programs. They have also attempted to launch several talk shows on Saturday nights as well as during the week throughout the years hosted by the likes of Wanda Sykes, Chevy Chase, Spike Feresten, Arsenio Hall and the late Joan Rivers with limited success.Their previous sketch comedy shows have also included In Living Color, The Ben Stiller Show, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, Saturday Night Special, and The Tracey Ullman Show, among others.

“The late-night landscape is wildly competitive, and we thought long and hard about the kind of audacious, attention-getting voices we needed,” said David Madden, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “Andy, Akiva, Jorma, Paul and our three stars – Nicole, Jessica and Alison – are the ideal group of talent to do just that. They’re fearless, original and, of course, very, very funny.”

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The Lonely Island have publicly stated that they have the blessing of their former boss Lorne Michaels given that the show won’t directly compete with SNL.

“One of our stipulations to Fox was that we wouldn’t air at the same time as @nbcsnl,” the group tweeted after a fan asked them to explain. “This show is over at 11:30.”

“And we called Lorne first to get his blessing,” they added.

Party Over Here will premiere on Saturday, March 12 at 11 p.m. on Fox.

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