B16a2 Civic
12-05-2005, 02:36 PM
Sure, Dave Chappelle went AWOL earlier this year, forcing Comedy Central to sideline his hugely popular show, but now the cable network is getting the last laugh.
Comedy Central announced Monday that Chappelle's Show is finally returning in 2006. Sort of. The network will air the sketches that the comedian taped before aborting the third season and going on an impromptu South African spiritual retreat.
A few of the bits will air during Comedy Central's year-end special, Last Laugh '05, which premieres Dec. 11. Fans will be afforded sneak peeks of Chappelle spoofing MTV's Cribs and the documentary Super Size Me. The skits will also be available the following day on Comedy Central's broadband channel, MotherLoad (www.comedycentral.com/motherload).
The network says it will start broadcasting the unaired third season episodes on TV in the second quarter of 2006.
Chappelle disappeared last spring, months into work on the third season and fresh off singing a $50 million contract with the network.
When Chappelle surfaced in South Africa, he smacked down speculation about his abrupt departure, telling Time magazine, "I'm not crazy, I'm not smoking crack, I'm definitely stressed out."
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He said the abrupt absence was necessary to clear his head and get the creative juices flowing again in the wake of the mega-deal and expectations for the season.
In May, Chappelle turned up in his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio, and then flew to Los Angeles for a series of surprise stand-up gigs. After working out his new material, he booked a slew of dates across the country.
Chappelle was unavailable for comment Monday. He remains on road, having played dates in Arizona and serving as the closing act of HBO's inuagural Comedy Festival in Las Vegas last month.
The network declined to comment on the show's future beyond its press release touting the third season airings.
But while Comedy Central execs have publicly left the door open for the Half-Baked star to resume his show, Monday's announcement seems to confirm that Chappelle's Show won't go back into production. And that means both the Viacom-owned channel and Chappelle stand to lose out on millions of dollars. Aside from the high TV ratings, DVD sales of the first two seasons of Chappelle's Show have been nothing short of phenomenal; the sets rank as the two best-selling television DVDs ever.
Comedy Central announced Monday that Chappelle's Show is finally returning in 2006. Sort of. The network will air the sketches that the comedian taped before aborting the third season and going on an impromptu South African spiritual retreat.
A few of the bits will air during Comedy Central's year-end special, Last Laugh '05, which premieres Dec. 11. Fans will be afforded sneak peeks of Chappelle spoofing MTV's Cribs and the documentary Super Size Me. The skits will also be available the following day on Comedy Central's broadband channel, MotherLoad (www.comedycentral.com/motherload).
The network says it will start broadcasting the unaired third season episodes on TV in the second quarter of 2006.
Chappelle disappeared last spring, months into work on the third season and fresh off singing a $50 million contract with the network.
When Chappelle surfaced in South Africa, he smacked down speculation about his abrupt departure, telling Time magazine, "I'm not crazy, I'm not smoking crack, I'm definitely stressed out."
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the abrupt absence was necessary to clear his head and get the creative juices flowing again in the wake of the mega-deal and expectations for the season.
In May, Chappelle turned up in his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio, and then flew to Los Angeles for a series of surprise stand-up gigs. After working out his new material, he booked a slew of dates across the country.
Chappelle was unavailable for comment Monday. He remains on road, having played dates in Arizona and serving as the closing act of HBO's inuagural Comedy Festival in Las Vegas last month.
The network declined to comment on the show's future beyond its press release touting the third season airings.
But while Comedy Central execs have publicly left the door open for the Half-Baked star to resume his show, Monday's announcement seems to confirm that Chappelle's Show won't go back into production. And that means both the Viacom-owned channel and Chappelle stand to lose out on millions of dollars. Aside from the high TV ratings, DVD sales of the first two seasons of Chappelle's Show have been nothing short of phenomenal; the sets rank as the two best-selling television DVDs ever.