The Amber Ruffin Show Is Too Good for Network TV

debuted last Friday night, and immediately established itself as one of the funniest shows in late night. It helps that the show is nothing but comedy—no guest interviews, no bands, just a monologue and comedy sketches featuring writer/performer Amber Ruffin.

There’s a strong case that somebody as talented as Ruffin shouldn’t be limited to only a half-hour a week, though. I mean, just watch her show, or herappearances: She’s as engaging as any of the men who currently host late night shows on the major networks, and more so than a few of them. She’s more than proven that she has what it takes to host her own program.

There are advantages to having a lower profile than a network late night talk show. Again, there’s less direct pressure when it comes to ratings, if only because streaming services usually don’t release viewership info. Ruffin and her writing team—Demi Adejuyigbe, Shantira Jackson, Dewayne Perkins, and head writer Jenny Hagel—won’t have to worry about appealing to a mainstream audience as much as they would if they were in a prominent NBC time slot.

And yet. It’s still hard not to think that NBC could be doing more with this show. It’s locked away on a relatively new streaming service that doesn’t have the stature or public awareness of a Netflix, Hulu or HBO Max. The show’s more than good enough, as is, for a bigger audience, but then the network would probably change what it is in hopes of connecting to that audience. It’s a dilemma.

Fortunately most of the first episode is up on YouTube. This will almost definitely be the main way people actually see—as “viral videos,” the way other late night shows are often consumed today. So instead of debating the whole streaming vs. network distinction, let’s just watch the damn show, and be happy that it exists at all.

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