frank calliendo

Good news, everyone! The Jay Leno Show was funny this week. There were some funny guests, genuinely funny comedy correspondent moments, and another Real Housewives quiz show, this time with the ladies from Atlanta.

Jay even managed to get a quick jab in to the bosses at NBC during an archery "Earn Your Plug" with Wanda Sykes. "This is NBC," he said to her. "I'm used to getting shot in the back." I've grown to respect Leno during his 10 o'clock experiment. He's a trouper doing what NBC is paying him to do, but you can tell he thinks the whole situation's about as screwed up as we do.

Even better, there were only two "10 @ 10" segments and no "Green Car Challenge" races, which allowed for more room to bring on Frank Calliendo and Sebastian Maniscalco to do stand-up routines. This is what I was expecting Leno to be doing, showcasing comedy rather than driving around a track trying not to hit Al Gore.

Considering that Frank Calliendo's inaugural season on his show (cleverly titled Frank TV) hit excellent ratings numbers for TBS, it comes as no real shocker that it's been picked up for a second run. The first season was cut to only five episodes due to the writers strike, so rather than go back to finish the rest of the initial order, TBS has gone this route.

Calliendo's show is a streaming barrage of fast impressions and skits, featuring Calliendo in virtually every role. Made famous by his dead-on impressions of the likes of George W. Bush, Al Pacino and John Madden, the show has received mixed reviews. Personally, I find Frank to be an incredibly likable guy, which comes across well on the show, and as with most sketch shows, if something isn't working for you, go make a sandwich. It'll be something else by the time you come back.