Amy Schumer Stunned by Sudden Fame

Amy Schumer says the success of her Comedy Central show Inside Amy Schumer took her by surprise. “When the ratings first came in, [Comedy Central] was like, ‘Oh, um, 3 million people watch...
Amy Schumer Stunned by Sudden Fame
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  • Amy Schumer says the success of her Comedy Central show Inside Amy Schumer took her by surprise.

    “When the ratings first came in, [Comedy Central] was like, ‘Oh, um, 3 million people watched last night.’ I was like, ‘What?’ It sounded like an accident,” Schumer recently told TV Guide.

    When asked about comparisons to actress and comedian Kristin Wiig, Schumer’s response was typically self-effacing: “Um, I hear myself referred to as the next Kristen Wiig zero times per week, but I would love that to be true. Hey, I’ll take Paula Deen’s career if it means money is coming in.”

    Inside Amy Schumer premiered on Comedy Central in April 2013. It was the network’s most-watched series premiere of the year. In May 2013 the show was renewed for a 10-episode second season. Season Two premiered April 1.

    The show features sketches, standup, and interviews from Schumer. Slate has called it “the most consistently feminist show on television,” observing that “nearly every bit is devoted in some capacity to gender politics.”

    Brooke Posch, who is in charge of programming and development for Comedy Central, has said that the network’s viewership is 60% men, and despite the feminist slant of her show, Schumer draws in a 50-50 male-female demographic.

    Schumer says she doesn’t feel any pressure to deliver in Season Two after the smashing success of Season One.

    “Before we went back into the writing room for this season, there was that moment of, ‘Oh, my God, I don’t have anything else to say. What if this season sucks?’ But then we got in there and it was so much more exciting, because this time we knew what we were doing.”

    Paste Magazine praised the Season Two premiere: “Every sketch is a winner from concept to execution, to the point that other comedy writers must get frustrated at how easy they’re making it look.”

    Season Two will see guest appearances from Zach Braff, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Giamatti, and Parker Posey.

    Besides working on her show, Schumer continues to travel with her standup act, Inside Amy Schumer’s Back Door Tour. She’s also writing and starring in Trainwreck which is slated for a July 2015 release and will be produced by Judd Apatow.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

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