Nate Bargatze will be in prime time.
The world’s highest-paid comedian, according to Pollstar, has signed on to do his first primetime special, a one-hour holiday-themed variety show for CBS. Lorne Michaels and his Broadway Video banner are on board as producers for the hour, which will premiere in December and also stream on Paramount+.
“I am incredibly excited to create this special because I have long been a huge fan of variety and we don’t see enough of it,” Bargatze said in a statement announcing the news Monday. “I want to create a great show for families to watch together and I couldn’t be in better hands than with this team.”
While many details are being kept under wraps, Bargatze plans to film the special on November 21 at the iconic Grand Ole Opry, where he got his start in comedy as an entry-level employee. Tonight, Bargatze will serve as master of ceremonies, leading the in-house audience and viewers at home through a mix of stand-up, sketches, pre-recorded bits and musical performances.
The announcement comes as Bargatze continues to expand his footprint beyond standup, unveiling Nateland Entertainment, his own family content company, in 2023. The company is expected to produce standup specials as well as scripted programming for film, TV, podcasts and music. Of course, it’s worth noting that Bargatze’s monster hit is relatively new, but his efforts to parlay his brand of comedy into other mediums are not. In fact, a decade ago, he developed his act into an NBC sitcom with the help of Jimmy Fallon, but the network ultimately dropped out.
To create the Christmas variety show, Bargatze is collaborating with Saturday night liveMikey Day and co-writer Streeter Seidell, who previously worked with him on his viral SNL sketch, “Washington’s Dream.” The latter was a highlight of his hosting stint, which, along with a Prime Video special in early 2023, helped propel Bargatze’s comedy career to the top. During that time, he’s moved from theaters to arenas, where he now breaks records at 19,000-seat venues like Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. So far this year, he’s reportedly grossed around $90 million on tour, which recently landed him at No. 12 in overall live tour ticket sales alongside music acts Madonna and U2.
The news comes as stand-up specials continue to be a red-hot market, with many describing it as a rare bright spot in an otherwise bleak entertainment landscape. This will be executive produced by Michaels, Bargatze, Broadway Video’s Erin David and Andrew Singer, as well as Brillstein Entertainment’s Tim Sarkes and Alex Murray. Bargatze’s next hour of traditional standup will stream on Netflix.