Ben Schwartz and Lauren Lapkus Are Bringing The Earliest Show Back as a Fully Financed TV Comedy Series

The cult-favorite comedy The Earliest Show is officially making the jump from digital short-form to a full half-hour television series, with Ben Schwartz and Lauren Lapkus returning to their beloved characters. The project is being developed by Amplify Pictures, which has commissioned a full season of scripts and is taking an unconventional route by independently financing the entire series before selling distribution rights.

Originally launched in 2016 as a Funny or Die digital series, The Earliest Show followed the chaotic behind-the-scenes life of America’s earliest live morning show, which goes on air at 3 a.m. sharp. The story centers on co-hosts Josh (played by Schwartz) and Sam (played by Lapkus), who navigate personal meltdowns, awkward on-air moments, and small-town absurdities in Upstate New York. Both actors earned Emmy nominations for their performances in the web version, which ran for six episodes and gained a passionate following for its improvised, unhinged tone.

Now, Schwartz—best known for voicing Sonic the Hedgehog in the blockbuster Paramount films (Sonic film franchise) and for his role as Jean-Ralphio on Parks and Recreation (Parks and Recreation)—is stepping into a bigger creative role. He is the creator, writer, and director of the new series and will also star in it. He joins a team of executive producers that includes Amplify’s Joe Lewis, Rachel Eggebeen, Colin King Miller, Luke Esselen, as well as Daniel Powell, Alex Bach, and Funny or Die producers Ricardo Martinez, Ben Gigli, and Jessica Renick.

Amplify Pictures—known for nonfiction hits like 100 Foot Wave and upcoming scripted titles such as Sleep King—is embracing a bold indie model: producing the entire season without a network or streamer attached, then selling it afterward. According to CEO Joe Lewis, the company sees The Earliest Show as an ideal project for risk-taking, describing it as bold, inventive, and wildly original.

Schwartz himself seems thrilled to expand the world he and Lapkus built years ago. He said that Amplify is giving him the freedom to make a funny, silly, and heartfelt series exactly the way he has envisioned it. Fans of the web series might remember the hour-long blooper reel circulating online—proof of how much the cast enjoyed pushing the limits of absurdity.

Lapkus, meanwhile, continues a busy streak in her career. Known for her work on Orange is the New Black and films like The Wrong Missy, she is currently filming Stuart Fails to Save the Universe for HBO Max, where she reprises her role as Denise from The Big Bang Theory. More about Lapkus can be found here: Lauren Lapkus.

As for Amplify Pictures, this move follows announcements of other projects, including documentary series like Soaps, Sundance winner Come See Me in the Good Light, and titles such as Bollywood Dance U and Game Changers, which streams on HBO Max.

Funny or Die, which produced the original web series and is now serving as a production partner, continues its evolution from online comedy hub to full-scale entertainment studio with credits including Between Two Ferns, American Vandal, and After Midnight. More on the company here: Funny or Die.

With Schwartz and Lapkus reunited, a fresh creative team onboard, and Amplify backing the series with full financial confidence, The Earliest Show looks poised to return bigger, stranger, and funnier than ever—this time for TV audiences.