or


[08/03/04 - 12:00 AM]
'Chappelle's Show' Good for Two More Seasons
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- In a monster deal that could wind up being worth up to $50 million, comedian Dave Chappelle has signed a deal with Comedy Central to return to his hit series "Chappelle's Show" for two additional seasons.

The pact also calls for Chappelle to develop new programs for the cable channel through his Pilot Boy Productions (including a series pilot featuring "Chappelle" regular Paul Mooney) and a multi-million dollar deal at Paramount Pictures to star in an adaptation of the autobiography of Rick James.

More importantly, Chappelle will receive a bigger cut on future DVD sales of the series as well as retroactively to the first and second seasons. A collection of the show's first season from Paramount Home Entertainment has sold 1.7 million units, generating more than $43 million in revenue. Said sales have made the release this year's top-selling TV DVD and the third bestselling TV disc of all time.

"Chappelle's Show" co-creator Neil Brennan will also return as a director, executive producer and writer on the series.

Various industry insiders say both the NBC Universal Television Group (which includes Bravo, USA, Sci Fi and Trio) and FX were interested in poaching the series from Comedy Central, however it's not clear what their offers were.

"Chappelle's" two-season renewal will consist of 26 episodes with each season featuring 10 original episodes, two "best-of" episodes and another devoted to music performances. The series closed its second cycle earlier this year, averaging 3.1 million viewers.

Comedy Central touted the news in a press release yesterday:

DAVE CHAPPELLE INKS NEW PACT WITH COMEDY CENTRAL KEEPING THE HOST OF THE EMMY-NOMINATED �CHAPPELLE�S SHOW� AT THE ALL-COMEDY CHANNEL FOR TWO MORE YEARS

New Deal Includes Ten Original Episodes, Two �Best-Of�s� And One Musical Special Per Year

Chappelle Will Continue On In His Current Capacity As Star, Executive Producer And Writer

NEW YORK, August 2, 2004 � COMEDY CENTRAL has reached an agreement with Dave Chappelle to extend the contract of the star of the critically-acclaimed �Chappelle�s Show,� it was announced today by Doug Herzog, president, COMEDY CENTRAL.

The Emmy-nominated �Chappelle�s Show� will return to COMEDY CENTRAL for a third and fourth season (13 episodes each), after Dave Chappelle inked a new two-year deal with COMEDY CENTRAL, extending the show through 2006. Chappelle will continue in his current capacity as star, co-creator, writer and executive producer of the series, along with Neal Brennan returning as co-creator, writer and executive producer. The pact also includes a deal for Chappelle to develop new programming ideas for COMEDY CENTRAL.

�Re-signing Dave Chappelle was a top priority and I am just so pleased that we were able to reach an agreement,� said Lauren Corrao, COMEDY CENTRAL�s senior vice president of original programming & head of development. �COMEDY CENTRAL is the rightful home for �Chappelle�s Show� and Dave�s unique and provocative brand of humor and we look forward to several more years of success with Dave and his talented team of producers and performers.�

�The success of the show has been phenomenal and overwhelming,� said Dave Chappelle. �I�m looking forward to coming back to COMEDY CENTRAL for a big finish and now I�m actually rich, bitch!�

The new season of �Chappelle�s Show� is scheduled to begin first quarter 2005 with Chappelle continuing his unique comedic approach combined with a hip-hop sensibility. Chappelle�s point-of-view on the world provides a hilarious, defiant and sometimes dangerous look at American culture, including music, movies, television, advertising, current events and everyday life situations.

�Chappelle�s Show� won nothing but accolades and impressive ratings when it first premiered on the network, garnering high ratings from the beginning. In its just concluded second season, the hilariously provocative show experienced a huge week-to-week increase by registering a 2.2 HH rating (2.5 million viewers) and averages 3.1 million total viewers in its Wednesday main play. �Chappelle�s Show� was the number one cable show in its timeslot among total viewers and adults 18-49 and was the number one show in its slot in all of television among young men, 18-34. The audience for the series was dominated by P18-49 with 75% of the total audience falling into this demographic.

�Chappelle�s Show� was recently nominated for three Emmy Awards in the categories of Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music or Comedy Program and Outstanding Individual Achievement In Writing In A Variety Or Music Program.

First season �Chappelle�s Show� DVD sales are closing in on 2 million units, making it the most successful television DVD release of 2004 and the third best TV DVD seller of all time.

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 85 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL is a registered trademark of Comedy Partners. COMEDY CENTRAL�s Internet address is http://www.comedycentral.com.





  [august 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· CHAPPELLE'S SHOW (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· UNTITLED PAUL MOONEY PROJECT (COMEDY CENTRAL)





[07/14/25 - 02:13 PM]
Lifetime Announces Three New "Ripped from the Headlines" Movies Debuting Saturdays This Fall
Keana Lyn Bastidas, Jon McLaren, Marilu Henner, Brielle Robillard, Sam Trammell, Steve Byers, Ashley Jones, Holly Barrett, Doug Savant, Maggie Lawson, and Courtney Stodden are among the featured talent.

[07/14/25 - 01:10 PM]
Season 10 of the Hit Dating Series "Ready to Love" Returns to Philadelphia as the Journey to Find Love Continues This Summer on OWN
Beginning Friday, August 1 at 8 PM ET/PT on OWN, viewers return to the City of Brotherly Love to reignite the search for lasting love among its most eligible singles.

[07/14/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix and MVP's Taylor-Serrano 3 Goes the Distance with Nearly 6 Million Global Viewers
In the US, an estimated AMA of 4.2 million viewers tuned in to the main event (Live+1) according to VideoAmp and Netflix, making it the most-watched professional women's sports event of 2025.

[07/14/25 - 11:01 AM]
Video: "SEC Football: Any Given Saturday" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Follow college football's most elite players and coaches in this unfiltered documentary series that goes behind the scenes of the 2024 SEC season.

[07/14/25 - 11:01 AM]
Hosted by Ken Jeong & Erin Andrews, "99 to Beat" Premieres Wednesday, September 24 Following the Season Four Premiere of "The Floor," Hosted by Rob Lowe
In "99 to Beat," 100 contestants go head-to-head in a range of visually distinctive and hilarious games in an arced competition game show like we've never seen before.

[07/14/25 - 10:01 AM]
Prime Video Announces 2025 San Diego Comic-Con Programming
Featured are beloved returning series including "Gen V," "Upload," "Hazbin Hotel," "The Legend of Vox Machina," and highly anticipated new series like "Helluva Boss," "The Mighty Nein," and "Butterfly."

[07/14/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Hulu Reveals Official Trailer for "The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball"
Additionally, it's been announced that the series will make its franchise-first debut at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, July 26.

[07/14/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Debuts Trailer and Key Art For Spy Thriller "Butterfly," Starring and Executive Produced by Daniel Dae Kim
As previously announced, all six episodes will debut on Wednesday, August 13.

[07/14/25 - 08:15 AM]
Sean Hannity to Host "Wanted: Dead or Alive" on FOX Nation
Set to premiere on Wednesday, July 16, new episodes will be released weekly and tackle the stories of the infamous John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson, and Ma Barker.

[07/14/25 - 08:00 AM]
Gabby Windey Sets Sail as Host of Hulu's New Unscripted Series "Love Overboard"
Step aboard the ultimate luxury yacht, where sexy singles are ready to mix and mingle... and find love.

[07/14/25 - 08:00 AM]
HBO Original "Harry Potter" Television Series Begins Production
The series will debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max where it's available, including in upcoming launch markets Germany, Italy, and the UK.

[07/14/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases First-Look Images and Teaser Trailer for Upcoming Psychological Thriller "The Girlfriend"
All six-episodes will be available September 10 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.

[07/14/25 - 07:41 AM]
Welcome to Atlanta: FOX Sports Assembles All-Star Cast for MLB's 95th Midsummer Classic
Live from Truist Park, FOX MLB's lead duo of Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer Joe Davis and first-ballot Hall of Famer John Smoltz (eight-time All-Star with the Atlanta Braves) reunite in the booth for their fourth All-Star Game together.

[07/14/25 - 07:15 AM]
Prime Video Announces Six Additional Cast for New Original Series "Bloodaxe"
Karlis Arnolds Avots, Rod Hallett, Alina Tomnikov, Sisse Marie, Rune Temte, and Jesper Christensen join the cast of the historical drama.

[07/14/25 - 07:14 AM]
Icon Award, Presenters, Attendees, and Musical Performances Announced for "The 2025 ESPYS Presented by Capital One," Airing Live Wednesday, July 16 at 8pm ET/ 7pm CT on ABC and Streaming on ESPN+
During this year's event, ESPN will honor former WNBA player Diana Taurasi and former USWNT player Alex Morgan with the Icon Award in recognition of their incredible careers and significant impact on the world of sports.