The current fifth season of IFC‘s Comedy Bang! Bang!’ will be its last. The series’ final 10-episode run will premiere Friday, October 28, with two back-to-back episodes at 11 PM and 11:30 PM. The remaining episodes, starring series host Scott Aukerman and musical co-host “Weird Al” Yankovic, will air weekly, back-to-back on Fridays, leading to the series finale on December 10 (accounting for a Thanksgiving preemption). The first 10-episode part of Season 5 wrapped its run on July 1. The 20-episode Season 5 matches the series’ second and third season, while Season 1 consisted of 10 episodes and Season 4 was a supersized 40 episodes for a total run of 110 episodes.
“Comedy Bang! Bang! has been an incredibly important show for IFC,” said IFC president Jennifer Caserta. “Over five seasons and more than 100 episodes, Scott Aukerman has been a comedic force who has meant so much to us, Comedy Bang! Bang! had a unique sensibility in the comedy space, and delivered an amazing array of A-list guest stars.”
Guest stars for the series’ final episodes include: Malin Akerman, Mike Colter, Kaley Cuoco, Ben Folds, Gillian Jacobs, Allison Janney, Jason Mantzoukas, Haley Joel Osment, Chris Parnell, Krysten Ritter, Adam Scott, Paul F. Tompkins, Matt Walsh , and the return of former co-host Reggie Watts.
Comedy Bang! Bang! has developed a cult following with its absurdist take on the late-night format. It was a soft ratings performer — the show scored 0.0 adults 18-49 Live+same day rating a couple of times and as few as 11,000 Live+same day viewers last season — but a prestige series for IFC because of the talent it attracted.
Additionally, the Comedy Bang! Bang! creative team helped the show’s bottom line by doing a lot of product and ad integration with a comedic bent. “Scott and his team worked with our advertising partners in ways that were as buzzy as the jokes,” Caserta said.
Aukerman tweeted the news of the show’s end:
https://twitter.com/ScottAukerman/status/766324211279273984
https://twitter.com/ScottAukerman/status/766324524191100928
https://twitter.com/ScottAukerman/status/766324758593929216
https://twitter.com/ScottAukerman/status/766325034893742081
https://twitter.com/ScottAukerman/status/766325875671302144
Created and hosted by Scott Aukerman, whose bandleaders throughout the years include Reggie Watts, Kid Cudi, and most recently “Weird Al” Yankovic, the show features untraditional celebrity interviews, intermingled with guest stars and musical gigs.
Comedy Bang! Bang! is produced for IFC by Abso Lutely Productions; Aukerman, Dave Kneebone and Neil Campbell serve as executive producers. Seasons 1-4 stream on Netflix.