Highlights from the debut of The Maya Rudolph Show on NBC

Can the variety show come back into our lives like a prodigal son or daughter?

Can the networks give a variety show more than a just a single backdoor pilot episode to make itself at home with us?

Whichever question is the better one, we did get to see the first hour of what could be more of The Maya Rudolph Show on Monday night on NBC — albeit at the non-variety hour of 10 o’clock Eastern/Pacific. Aren’t these things supposed to air in the family hour? Or did they go late so we could see Sean Hayes sell us on Chocolate Covered Cameltoes while Craig Robinson asks us to taste Deez Nuts and Kristen Bell offers up her clams?

At any rate. The Maya Rudolph Show!

Here’s how Rudolph opened her first hour:

One of the best bits: A sketch, much like Saturday Night Live (except this and the entire show was taped before a live studio audience), with Rudolph joined by fellow former SNLers Fred Armisen and Andy Samberg, with Bell introducing Samberg to her parents: The Garmyns. As in, the male and female voices for car GPS systems.

And this is some “Small Dancing” from later in the hour:

You can watch the full episode via Hulu:

https://www.hulu.com/watch/638181

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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