Upfront With Samantha Bee

‘I can’t thank the celestial lords and ladies enough for the gift of this election season. It’s been incredible.’

- Jason Lynch

One of TBS and TNT president Kevin Reilly's earliest big bets has already paid off handsomely. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, the former Daily Show correspondent's new weekly series (which is considered a late-night show event though it airs Mondays at 10:30), has given TBS more buzz and critical acclaim than it's had in years. Mixing astute, biting political humor with clever field pieces, the show established Bee as a singular late-night voice minutes into its Feb. 8 debut. With an average weekly audience of 3.7 million across linear and digital platforms, Full Frontal was recently picked up for 26 additional episodes, extending its 2016 order to 39 episodes. (Two days later, TBS renewed The Detour, the new comedy she executive produces with her husband Jason Jones, who also stars; they executive produce Full Frontal together.) Bee talked about taking a leap of faith with TBS, why she won't do Full Frontal nightly and what makes her a terrible negotiator. 

Congratulations on Full Frontal’s renewal. Are you feeling more relief or pressure now that you have 26 additional episodes this year? It’s absolutely a relief, first and foremost—we have to feed our families—and joy because it’s really hard work. But we actually enjoy putting the show together. Primarily relief, followed by joy, followed by terror.