If you enjoy spending your time cracking up over hysterical, and often overtly crude jokes, you have probably watched a performance by one comedian or another. Jim Gaffigan may be a comedian, but he seems to have fallen into the shadow of fellow stand-up artists such as Aziz Ansari, Chris Rock and Louis C.K. He is best known as a “clean” comedian, focusing his jokes mainly on his large family, and his number one passion: food. Back in July, TV Land introduced a new series produced by Gaffigan and his wife, Jeannie, appropriate titled “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” mirrored after the chaos and hilarity of the family’s everyday life.
The show follows Gaffigan through New York City, highlighting popular locations such as Katz Delicatessen, The Plaza Hotel and Gotham Comedy Club. Each episode centers around a certain topic, whether it be Gaffigan’s irrational obsession with red velvet cake, his failed attempt to create the perfect anniversary night for Jeannie or his dismay upon learning that the local parish priest plans to attend his act on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.”
If the simple image of Gaffigan living with his wife (portrayed by Ashley Williams) and five young children in a two-bedroom Manhattan apartment isn’t enough to make you chuckle, other factors such as Jeannie’s sarcasm and openly gay friend Daniel (Michael Ian Black), or Gaffigan’s often self-absorbed comedian friend Dave (Adam Goldberg) add substantial humor to the show. This combination of characters and the ways they interact with and consistently poke fun at Gaffigan makes the viewer simultaneously laugh at and with the comedian and his misfortune.
Compared to many of the sitcoms currently running on network television, “The Jim Gaffigan Show” offers a clean, charming alternative for those looking to have a laugh. The way the producers are able to combine Gaffigan’s usual comedic talents with other sitcom-like elements makes for an entertaining break from the sitcoms of today. Whether or not the work of comedians is something you are fond of, “The Jim Gaffigan Show” is worth the 22 minutes you might otherwise spend mindlessly scrolling through various social media feeds at 10 p.m. on a Wednesday night.
