Premium Blend: David Alan Grier (S5E11)

Comedy Central’s Premium Blend functioned as a high-volume incubator for working club comics, offering them short television spots for national exposure. Hosted by David Alan Grier, this episode strings together rapid sets from a slate of up-and-comers. The format leaves little room for slow burns. The comedians have just enough time to establish a premise, hit a few punchlines, and get off the stage.

Aired in December 2001, the broadcast catches Grier shortly after the run of his NBC sitcom DAG. The lineup features Eric Kirschberger, Brian Keith Etheridge, and Jason Andors alongside a young J.B. Smoove. Years before his defining role as Leon Black on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Smoove uses his brief television spot to introduce cable audiences to his distinct physical performance style.