Tag Archives: comedy

Benicio Del Toro to Star in Apple Comedy Series “Protective Custody”

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Benicio Del Toro is going into protective custody…

The 59-year-old Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actor is reuniting with his Escape at Dannemora colleague Ben Stiller in the Apple comedy series Protective Custody.

Benicio del ToroIt marks the Traffic star’s first leading role in a comedy series.

Del Toro is fresh from starring as Sergio St. Carlos in One Battle After Another, a karate sensei and leader of the undocumented community in Baktan Cross, which landed him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

The project hails from Mike Judge, Steve Hely and Dave King.

Protective Custody follows a disgraced financier accused of massive fraud who is thrown into protective custody, where he must navigate prison politics, salvage his reputation, and confront the consequences of his actions while awaiting trial.

It comes over 10 years after Del Toro and Stiller worked together on Showtime’s prison break drama Escape at Dannemora; Del Toro starred as convicted murderer Richard Matt, who broke out of prison alongside Paul Dano’s David Sweat, who were having a relationship with prison guard Tilly Mitchell, played by Patricia Arquette. Stiller directed and executive produced.

Tom Segura Completes Filming of Latest Netflix Special “Teacher” for December Release

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Tom Segura is preparing to play teacher….

The 46-year-old half-Peruvian and part-Spanish American comedian/actor recently wrapped a two-day shoot over the weekend for his latest special, Tom Segura: Teacher, with plans for an unusually quick turnaround.

Tom Segura

The special is set to be released globally on Netflix on December 24.

No word yet on what Segura covers in the hour.

It marks his fifth original for the streamer, following Sledgehammer (2023), Ball Hog (2020), Disgraceful (2018) and Mostly Stories (2016) — though his relationship with Netflix began via a licensing deal for a sixth special, 2014’s Completely Normal.

Segura’s latest hails from YMH Studios. He executive-produced alongside Ryan P. Hall and Molly Mandel.

Netflix has played a major role in the career trajectory of Segura, who has spoken publicly on many occasions about getting into business with the streamer before he understood what a dominant platform it would become.

He released two albums prior to his first special with Netflix — 2010’s Thrilled and 2012’s White Girls with Cornrows — but it was after Completely Normal began circulating on Netflix that his career exploded.

Segura has stayed in business with Netflix ever since. The platform is also home to Bad Thoughts, the sketch series in which he brings some of his darkest and most twisted comedic fantasies to life.

It earned him his first Emmy nomination for his work on the show this year and will debut a second season in 2026.

Segura launched the project independently, self-financing a pilot before establishing it at Netflix as creator, writer, director and EP.

As discussed in a July episode of our podcast Comedy Means Business, Segura has recently gone all-in on filmmaking, between Bad Thoughts and El Tigre, the R-rated comedy marking his first feature starring vehicle.

Alongside his wife Christina Pazsitzky, Segura is behind production company YMH Studios and continues to appear on its podcasts, including Your Mom’s House and 2 Bears 1 Cave.

Netflix to Globally Premiere Felipe Esparza’s “Raging Fool” Comedy Special in February

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Felipe Esparza is preparing for a rager…

The 48-year-old Mexican stand-up comedian and actor is set to release his next Netflix special, Raging Fool, globally on February 11.

Felipe Esparza,In Raging Fool, Esparza explores the trials and tribulations of navigating complicated family dynamics, marriage, cultural divides, infidelity, and more.

The special is his second for Netflix, on the heels of 2020’s Bad Decisions, which has two versions available to stream, in English and Spanish.

Taped in front of a sold-out crowd at the Crest Theatre in Sacramento, the special is written and performed by Esparza, who executive-produced alongside his wife and long-time producing partner, Lesa ODaniel-Esparza, as well as Judi Marmel and Jordan Levy, in conjunction with 800 Pound Gorilla Productions.

ODaniel-Esparza also directed Esparza’s new hour.

Also known for specials including They’re Not Gonna Laugh at You (currently streaming on Prime Video) and Translate This (HBO), Esparza recently announced the extension of his At My Leisure tour with spring dates, which will see him hitting major cities across North America beginning in January.

Rising to fame as the 2010 winner of Last Comic Standing, he’s also appeared in recurring roles on series including Superstore, The Eric Andre Show, Gentefied, Victor and Valentino, and Universal Basic Guys. 

His film credits include Guest House with Pauly Shore, Daddy Daughter Trip with Rob Schneider, Blue Beetle with Xolo Maridueña and George Lopez and You People with Eddie Murphy.

Currently working on material for his fifth special, Esparza is also the host of What’s Up Fool?, which has held steady of late as one of the top comedy podcasts of the last 10 years.

Francisco Gattorno Starring in the Body Swap Comedy “The Ballad Of Hortensia”

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Francisco Gattorno is performing a special ballad…

The 59-year-old Cuban-Mexican actor and telenovela star is starring in The Ballad Of Hortensia, a body swap comedy from Premiere Entertainment set in El Salvador.

Francisco GattornoProduction is underway on the film, which also stars Helena Haro.

Arturo Menendez is directing the film from a screenplay by Javier Reyna, based on a story by Julio Yudice and Menendez.

Yudice, best known in El Salvador for his satirical portrayal of an indigenous woman known as La Tenchis, also stars.

The plot follows the life of a narcissistic male comedian (Yudice) who wakes up in the opposite sex body following an automobile accident.

The fantasy comedy is being produced by Elias Axume with Carlos Rincon and Lizzy Gonzalez serving as executive producers for Premiere Entertainment. Marvin Galeas is the associate producer.

The film continues Premiere’s work in El Salvador, following Fireflies at El Mozote, a Salvadoran civil war epic co-produced with Bob Yari, which is in post-production and is in development. The company is also in development on the Salvadoran espionage thriller Curfew.

Gattorno has been a fixture as a leading man in Mexican soap operas for over 25 years, with the latest being El Señor de los Cielos and La Desalmada.

Haro is best known for her recurring role in the Amazon series El Juego de las Llaves and will be seen in the upcoming crime thriller Desert Dawn starring Kellan Lutz.