Marc Maron’s ‘Long Overdue’ First HBO Comedy Special Is In Officially On The Way

Marc Maron, podcaster extraordinaire and coiner of the phrase “human centipede in Austin,” is gearing up to film his first HBO comedy special. Finally Yes, finally. The master of GLOW ceremonies and the sort-of Joker actor (I feel like he might appreciate that one) regularly discusses his comedy sets on his WTF show. He’s a freaking stand-up veteran and has been doing this since the late 1980s (at least).

From there, it’s a real head scratcher to fathom how he hasn’t previously come together with HBO for an official comedy special, but it’s time to make up for lost time. As Variety first reported, Maron’s special will tape on December 8 during a live set at at New York City’s Town Hall. The special will be in your living room sometime in 2023.

In a press release, Executive VP of HBO Programming Nina Rosenstein declared that this “[t]his long overdue collaboration is an extra special one for us.” She called the set “deeply personal and darkly funny,” and here’s what Maron added:

“I’ve wanted to do an HBO special my entire life. Literally my entire life. Not since I started doing comedy, but since I started watching comedy as a kid. It was where the real comedy happened. Always. I’m honored to be working with them. It’s been a hard few years and the hour I’ve been working on is very provocative and personal. I trust HBO to present it properly because they have the courage to have a point of view as a network. AND they get the deep funny.”

On the personal and “hard” note, Maron is certainly alluding to the sudden 2020 death of girlfriend Lynn Shelton. He’s been real about the tragic subject on his podcast and will likely be even more so about the process of grief. Obviously, he’ll still be bitingly funny in this special. Hopefully, we’ll hear more about his “time with The Sandman.” Hint, hint.

In mid-October, Maron let it slip that he scouted locations for “my HBO special” and that he enjoyed “avoiding the Comedy Cellar” during his recent NYC voyage. Mission accomplished.