Sky snaps up Leo Reich's debut stand-up special
- Leo Reich's stand-up special Literally Who Cares?! will air on Sky Comedy in the UK and HBO Max in the US
- The show earned Reich a nomination for best newcomer in the 2022 Edinburgh Comedy Awards
- He said: "To have been given the opportunity to turn this flamboyant, odd, over-the-top, exhausting show into a comedy special is a dream come true in itself"
Leo Reich is releasing his debut special on Sky Comedy next month, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.
Performed as Reich's first Edinburgh Fringe show in 2022 and briefly reprised at the festival this year, Literally Who Cares?! earned him an Edinburgh Comedy Award best newcomer nomination and a clutch of four and five star reviews, before an off-Broadway run in New York earlier this year.
Blending songs and stand-up and recorded at EartH in London over two performances in September, Literally Who Cares?! will also air on HBO Max in the US. Sky has lately become a home for stand-up specials after recently airing shows by Katherine Ryan, Rob Beckett and Nish Kumar.
It is the first stand-up special by a British act to be made by US production behemoth A24, the company responsible for Oscar-winning films like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Moonlight, but which has also recently diversified into co-producing British comedies such as Dreaming Whilst Black and Such Brave Girls.
Reich, who also executive produced his special, said: "To have been given the opportunity to turn this flamboyant, odd, over-the-top, exhausting show into a comedy special is a dream come true in itself. But to have been able to do it with A24 and HBO is beyond a dream.
"Being able to make something with the most creative production house for the most innovative network is a privilege that usually only befalls like, Zendaya. I'm honoured that these storied institutions are risking their impeccable reputations by putting their names to my gay little comedy show. God bless them. Their funeral!"
The special is directed by Thomas Hardiman (medusa Deluxe), with Brid Kirby (The Paddock) and Chris Quaile (Fern Brady: Power & Chaos) producing.
Nina Rosenstein, HBO Programming for Late Night & Specials, added: "When we first saw Leo, we were so struck by his incredible talent. He is a wickedly funny writer, a spectacular performer, and his musical numbers are nothing short of epic. He goes full force in this special and gives it so many rich layers, making it such a fun one to watch."
The Guardian hailed Literally Who Cares?! as "the arrival of a new star" and "one of the best of those shows that fashion the Gen-Z experience ... into uproarious, bleak-brilliant comedy." The Times agreed, calling Reich "scintillating" and acclaimed the show as "a masterful balancing act, an encapsulation of a generation's hopes and fears and vanities and blind spots".