Things are looking up for David Spade. After the harrowing events that occurred last December, that should come as welcome news for the sarcastic, biting comic actor.
The former cast member of “Saturday Night Live” is riding high on NBC’s comedy “Just Shoot Me,” which is logging time on Nielsen’s Top 10 list after its move from Tuesdays to Thursdays where it rests comfortably between “Friends” and “Seinfeld.”
Spade gets to show off his acidic wit in his first hour-long standup special on HBO this Friday. “David Spade: Take the Hit,” an evil, wickedly funny presentation of “The `Round Midnight Special,” debuts at 10:30 p.m. It finds Spade taking shots at growing up in the Phoenix area, bad dating experiences, an absentee father and celebrity-bashing–a trademark from his star-skewering “Hollywood Minute” feature from “SNL.”
“(The Eagles) made the mistake of trying to incorporate our city into their song,” Spade says of seeing the legendary band in Phoenix, “because (idiots) like me get impressed that they can read our town off the back of a mike stand.”
Spade’s movie career, with a starring role in the romantic comedy “Lost and Found,” which he co-wrote, is on track as well . . . his appearance in the Marlon Wayans comedy “Senseless” notwithstanding.
” `Senseless’ is huge in some countries,” counters Spade. “Just not in America.”
The jewel in Spade’s career these days is “Just Shoot Me,” which is on at 7:30 p.m. on WMAQ-Ch. 5. The series, where Spade plays Dennis Finch, snide executive assistant to magazine publisher Jack Gallo (George Segal), started life last spring as a tryout series, but won a surprise renewal and served as a strong complement to “Frasier” on Tuesdays.
When NBC tinkered with its Thursday lineup in anticipation of the departure of “Seinfeld,” “Shoot” was placed behind “Friends,” and the show responded by retaining much of the popular buddy comedy’s audience.
“We just want to make sure it’s finding the laughs,” says Spade, 33, of his show, downplaying how successful “Shoot” has become.
“Here’s the weirdest thing that could happen,” he adds. “You want it to really kick (butt) when it’s on, and we think it’s not a total fluke. And it’s not just a timeslot thing–even though it’s part of it. But if it does too well, then they might want to start another night with it, or put it back to Tuesday or whatever.”
If that were the case, Spade says, “Shoot” could suffer the same fate as NBC’s “3rd Rock from the Sun” and “Men Behaving Badly,” comedies that failed to bring viewers to new nights.
Spade, a standup comic for 12 years, would rather the show remain where it is on Thursdays. “I think it’s a good coupling” to “Friends,” he says.
One thing he doesn’t want to see is “Shoot” move to “Seinfeld’s” 8 p.m. time period. Several candidates, including “Mad About You,” “3rd Rock” and “Frasier” have been mentioned to plug that hole next season.
“I don’t know what the draw is to go there,” says Spade. “It’s either you barnacle onto `Friends’ or you barnacle onto `ER,’ but if you’re somewhere in the middle, then you’ve got to totally hold your own.”
Spade could barely hold his own last December, in the wake of the death of his best friend Chris Farley. Farley, who Spade met when the two worked on “SNL” (they later starred together in the movies “Black Sheep” and “Tommy Boy”), died in his Chicago apartment of a drug overdose.
Although he is still mourning Farley, he knows it will get better with time.
When asked where he was with Farley’s death these days, Spade says: “It’s just a bummer not having somebody like him I can call . . . you don’t have that many people like that in your life. It takes you years.
“You just have to ride it out. But it will get better.”
– “Sacred” thoughts: Several letters came in after we wrote about the apparent cancellation of ABC’s “Nothing Sacred,” the controversial series about an unorthodox Roman Catholic priest. The network hasn’t officially canned the show, but it has been pulled from the schedule indefinitely, with several episodes left to air.
“(Gurnee native) Kevin Anderson portrayed a truly human priest committed to God, his church and his people.”–Eileen Byrne, Niles.
“. . .As a 77-year-old woman born and bred in the Roman Catholic religion, I find no fault with the show. . . . I feel it to be rewarding in that it shows human frailty but also shows the strength of character and conscience.”–Lorraine Dolan, Oak Park.
“I do want to thank you for the address of ABC Entertainment. I did send a letter to (president Jamie) Tarses requesting that the show be dropped.”–Jerry Steffe, Saint John, Ind.
” `Nothing Sacred’ has taught Catholics an important lesson: If we arise out of our indifferent slumber, we can do something about attacks on our beliefs. What’s your agenda?”–R.M. Hanisits, Ph.D., Chicago.
Championing good television, Dr. Hanisits.
