Chris Hardwick Returns to Stand-Up With The Middle Ages

Chris Hardwick is returning to stand-up with The Middle Ages, his first special in ten years.

The new hour is his third stand-up special in total, according to Deadline. A stand-up special is a filmed comedy set, usually built for television or streaming.

It will premiere on Gorilla Comedy+ on 5 October. That is the first window, for subscribers to the comedy platform.

Then it opens wide. The special will be released on the 800 Pound Gorilla YouTube channel on 20 October at 7 p.m. CT. That is 8 p.m. ET, and 1 a.m. BST on 21 October for viewers in Britain.

Two dates, two ways to watch. The paid premiere comes first. The free YouTube release follows fifteen days later.

The gap is the story here. Ten years. Hardwick's last specials were Mandroid in 2012 and Funcomfortable in 2016. Both aired on Comedy Central, the American cable channel long associated with stand-up.

Television has kept him in full view since. He executive produces and hosts The Wall on NBC, meaning he runs the programme behind the scenes as well as fronting it on screen.

He previously hosted @midnight on Comedy Central and Talking Dead on AMC. The first was a late-night panel built around jokes and the internet. The second was a live after-show that aired straight after episodes of The Walking Dead, with cast interviews and fan questions.

Hardwick has also launched I Think You're Overthinking It, a weekly chat show with AMC+, the streaming service from the American cable group AMC.

For fans, this means a first proper check-in with his stand-up in a decade. Short break? No. Ten years is a long time between hours. This one lands twice in October, first behind a subscription and then free for all.