Joel McHale has made a name for himself with acting stints on Community and other projects, but it's hard to dispute that some of his legacy lies in the talk show format. McHale was the face of E! Network's The Soup for over a decade, and now he's getting back in the saddle with a return to the talk show genre, except this time, it's at Netflix. Netflix subscribers will soon see McHale on the platform with The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale, which is set to debut Sunday, February 18.
Netflix announced that The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale will air 13 30-minute episodes in its initial run, with a new episode being taped every Thursday and then aired the following Sunday. The weekly rollout for the series is necessary because the show will focus on the trending events of the week prior, similar to how things were done on The Soup, except, on this show, McHale won't be forced to mention any E! Network originals. Topics teased for the series include politics, sports, celebrity culture, television, and things found on the internet. McHale, who will bring his patented sarcasm and wit to any topic the show covers, is already off to a great start; his announcement video poked fun at once again being put in front of a green screen:
Joel McHale will not only be the host on The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale but an executive producer as well. McHale shares executive producing duties with some familiar faces from his past like K.P. Anderson, who was an executive producer for The Soup. Anderson isn't the only alumni from the canceled E! Network talk show on board, either. Two writers from the former show, Brad Stevens and Boyd Vico, are executive producers as well. One other, seemingly random, but big, name attached to the list of executive producers is director Paul Feig, so it would seem this Netflix series is already off to a great start.
Of course, fans of The Soup probably already knew that considering Joel McHale kept his E! network series running from 2004 to 2015. Much like The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale, he accomplished that with just a green screen, television clips, some great humor, and the occasional celebrity appearance. For those wondering if that last feature of The Soup will make its way into the new series, yes it will, although no names have been teased regarding who might show up in this new project.
The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale premieres on Netflix Sunday, February 18 at 12:01 PT. It's not the only show set to debut in February; the month is jam-packed with shows both new and returning set to make their 2018 debut. For a look at what's coming, visit our midseason premiere guide.
