2019 is The Year of Ken Marino, Baby!

The State’s Ken Marino has always been my favorite Marino. Culturally, I was in the minority. From the moment the Miami Dolphins selected future Hall of Famer Dan Marino with the 27th pick in the 1983 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh native earned the moniker of most popular Marino. Standing at an opposing 6’4″, this rocket-armed gridiron titan is not only recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever lace ’em up, but he also made a memorable appearance in the hit film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and is likely friends with various members of Hootie & the Blowfish. For years individuals with the surname Marino didn’t stand a chance. It was Dan’s world and they were lucky enough to share the vaunted Marino name.

This unchecked tyranny will end in 2019.

From starring roles in Wet Hot American Summer and Childrens Hospital to scene-stealing performances in Veronica Mars and Role Models, Ken Marino has always been a favorite of the comedy community; but a whole new audience is about to become better acquainted with the one true Marino. Later this month, Ken Marino stars in two of the funniest new shows of 2019: Comedy Central’s The Other Two and Showtime’s Black Monday. Is it premature and borderline reckless to declare that a person, place, or thing will own the entirety of 2019 on the third day of the year? Sure. But as the great Dan Marino (apparently) once said, “There is no defense against a perfect pass.”

The era of Dan Marino is over. 2019 is the year of Ken Marino, baby!

Premiering January 24 on Comedy Central (and streaming for free above), The Other Two is a contagiously funny series created and written by former Saturday Night Live head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider. The sitcom centers on two siblings, aspiring actor Cary (Drew Tarver) and directionless former dancer Brooke (Heléne Yorke), whose lives are thrown into disarray when their 13-year-old brother Chase becomes incredibly famous overnight. Marino (Ken not Dan) portrays Chase’s endearingly bizarre manager Streeter. A fun mix of sincere and insecure, words cannot express this pitch perfect marriage between actor and character. Marino uses his sketch background to imbue every moment with subtle, nuanced humor.

Here’s how he explains the celebrity appeal of Chase during his introductory scene from the pilot.

“He’s a special dude. He’s talented, yet he’s humble. Also sexy, but he’s a businessman. He’s 13 but an icon. The girls are horny for him, yet they respect him and he respects them. He respects everyone,” Streeter says, beginning to tear up. “He is everything… to me. He’s my best friend.”

I’ll have more on the brilliance of The Other Two as we get closer to the premiere date, but Comedy Central isn’t the only place to find Marino this January. The actor also earned a recurring role in David Caspe and Jordan Cahan’s highly-anticipated new Showtime comedy Black Monday. How did the blisteringly funny series, which premieres January 20 on Showtime, up the ante? By doubling the Marino.

Also starring Don Cheadle, Andrew Rannells, and Regina Hall, Black Monday is a mystery dramedy that revisits the worst stock market crash in history. Set in 1987, the series tells the fictional story of how a group of outsiders took on Wall Street and ended up crashing the whole damn system. Cheadle and Hall are electric, but it’s Marino who plays the most memorable characters from the pilot, Lenny and Larry Lehman.

In Episode 1, which is now streaming for free on YouTube, Cheadle’s Maurice Monroe bursts into Lenny and Larry’s office and accuses the duo of… actually… I don’t want to spoil it for you because it’s one of my favorite bits of the new year. Even in a limited role, Marino enhances the material and elevates the humor. Having seen all of The Other Two and the first three episodes of Black Monday, I can confirm that they are both early contenders for funniest new show of 2019. And what do they have in common? They both feature Ken Marino.

The year may only be three days old, but Ken Marino is already having the funniest 2019. In your face, Dan Marino.

Where to stream The Other Two