Amy Schumer has had a whirlwind year, to say the least. After successfully writing and starring in her first feature film Trainwreck in July, Schumer has gone on to host an HBO standup special, open for Madonna in New York City and land an $8 million book deal, all the while still working on her cable show Inside Amy Schumer.
The Peabody and Emmy Award-winning sketch show has been a perfect platform for Schumer’s comedy since it first aired in 2013, and a fresh female voice in a sea of sometimes crass and raucous male comedy.
In its last three seasons, the show has almost effortlessly walked the tightrope between slapstick and satire. Schumer has taken down everyone from Hollywood executives to Congress to the patriarchy, and attacked controversies surrounding gender roles, rape culture and reproductive health head-on.
But while Inside Amy Schumer has been undeniably and consistently good, its star now deserves a bigger stage.
Three years ago, Schumer didn’t enjoy the same level of exposure or array of opportunities she does currently. Back then, her show on Comedy Central served as the only legitimate venue from which to springboard a successful comedy career. Today, Schumer is an international sensation. The more we see her in the media, the less vital her show seems to be.
This summer audiences saw what Schumer can do when given chances to work on bigger screens and in longer scenes. Now, the meager 30 minutes a week of a few short sketches suddenly feels a lot less satisfying, like a tease of Schumer’s talents.
Plus, Schumer’s recent fame is already affecting the show’s pre-existing format. In last week’s season premiere, Schumer interviewed close, celebrity friends in crowded bars in place of her usual “man on the street” interviews. In her “Amy Goes Deep” segment, she sat down with her bikini waxer rather than the usual slew of interesting characters (past guests include the founder of Ashley Madison, a porn producer and professional gigolo).
Comedy Central has already picked up Inside Amy Schumer for a fifth season, to air in 2017, but it would be unlikely for audiences to expect a sixth.
After all, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele of the network’s similarly well-received sketch show Key & Peele decided to wrap after five seasons in pursuit of other projects. The duo, though admittedly successful, is no match for Schumer when it comes to star power.
Schumer is headed for even greater things and no cable show, however outstanding, should hold her back.
