Amplify Pictures Orders Full Season of The Earliest Show

Amplify Pictures has ordered a full season of The Earliest Show, written, directed and created by Ben Schwartz, who will star alongside Lauren Lapkus.

“Comedy thrives on risk, and Ben is one of the most fearless comedic voices today,” said Amplify CEO Joe Lewis. “The Earliest Show is exactly the kind of bold, inventive series that indie TV was made for—wildly original, occasionally unhinged and undeniably hilarious. Amplify Pictures is here to support incredible creators like Ben with the creative freedom to take big swings like this—it’s a daring project that our company was created for and perfectly embodies the ethos of indie TV.”

The indie TV series is based on Schwartz’s Funny Or Die web series. The Earliest Show is executive produced by Schwartz alongside Lewis, Rachel Eggebeen, Colin King Miller and Luke Esselen for Amplify Pictures. Executive producers also include Daniel Powell and Alex Bach; Ricardo Martinez, Ben Gigli and Jessica Renick for Funny Or Die.

The Earliest Show is a comedic behind-the-scenes look at America’s earliest live morning show, starting at 3 a.m. sharp. The series focuses on the on- and off-camera activities of hosts Josh (Schwartz) and Sam (Lapkus) in their tiny upstate New York town.

“Amplify is giving me the opportunity to make a funny, silly and heartfelt show that has been bouncing around my head for years and I couldn’t be more excited,” said Schwartz. “I loved making The Earliest Show as a web series, as evident by the hour-long blooper reel that’s floating online, so the fact that I get to build upon the world in any weird way I can think of and get my favorite people to come and play is an absolute joy.”

“I’m so excited to get to bring these characters back with Ben,” said Lapkus. “We had the best time making this show and I can’t wait to take it to the next level.”