Despite the many accolades he has achieved throughout his 20-plus year career as a GRAMMY-nominated comedian, podcaster, director, and producer, Nate Bargatze has even more on the horizon.
On Nov. 21, Bargatze taped a primetime holiday variety special at the Grand Ole Opry, which will air on CBS Dec. 19. Co-produced by Bargatze and Lorne Michaels’ production company, Broadway Video, viewers can expect a mix of stand-up, shorts, sketches, musical guests, and a whole lot of holiday fun. It’s feel-good entertainment for all ages, and packs a dose of nostalgia that Bargatze (and many others) can appreciate.
“It’s kind of an old-school type thing. The TV that I knew growing up, and I think the TV that a lot of people knew, it’s just not completely there anymore. A Christmas variety special is something I don’t think has been done in a while. I wanted to make something that hopefully everybody is going to sit down and watch together as a family. I would like to start having some stuff like that; appointment viewing like the way it was. I think people still do want to sit together and have a plan for their night. So, it’s kind of going the old school way of having a variety special. It’s just trying to be pure entertainment and have a nice, fun Christmas show,” he says.
Nate Bargatze returns to the Grand Ole Opry, site of his first job
To make the special, well, extra special, Bargatze taped the show at the Grand Ole Opry. It was a full-circle moment that his younger self never could have dreamed up.
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“It means a lot. There used to be Opryland [USA] Theme Park and that was my first job. So, to be filming something here, I mean I couldn’t have even imagined it when I was 15. I was a sweeper at the park, and we would sweep in the park and the front steps of the Grand Ole Opry,” says Bargatze.
“I want to start doing a lot of stuff in Nashville. Being from here, obviously Nashville has blown up, but I think there’s a lot of good, good, great people here and we can do a lot of stuff here. I’m glad that it’s something being shot here and hopefully we can do more stuff here.”
Nate Bargatze’s new Netflix special just one of many upcoming projects
But that’s not all that Bargatze has in store this holiday season. His new stand-up special, “Your Friend, Nate Bargatze”, premieres on Netflix Dec. 24 with a second Netflix special slated to follow. With the popularity of his previous specials fueling this one, viewers are surely in for plenty of laughs.
“It’s the biggest one. It’s shot in an arena – you know I’m going to be biased because it’s mine – but it really looks great. We got some really awesome shots. With comedy, it’s kind of an intimate thing, so I believe we’re able to keep that with the cameras. It’s not like it’s always just this wide crazy shot,” Bargatze says. “We’ve been on a tour, I’ve been in the arenas, so it’s just capturing that. We went back to Phoenix where I taped the one before, and Phoenix is a great city. I’m excited. We taped it in April, so this will be the longest wait I’ve had between a special coming out. I’m excited to see the reaction.”
And Bargatze has even more to look forward to in the new year. This spring, he’s adding a new medium to his repertoire with the release of his first book, Big Dumb Eyes: Stories From A Simpler Mind, available May 6. As Bargatze sees it, releasing a book is another way to bring even more laughter into the lives of others.
“There’s a comedian, Paul Reiser, very funny. I remember reading his book when I first started comedy and I remember laughing like I was watching his standup on TV and I thought that was crazy to be laughing that hard by just reading something,” Bargatze says. “So, I think in the back of my head I always wanted to do it. It’s just trying to give more stuff for people to be able to take in that’s nothing heavy, it’s just trying to be a break from the stresses of everybody’s life.”
That desire to give people something lighthearted that they can enjoy is a common theme across all Bargatze’s many projects. It’s evident in his comedy, where he often pokes more fun at himself than the crowd, and when he does bring a loved one into the joke, he makes sure the humor is accompanied by plenty of love. Because for Bargatze, making people laugh is truly what it’s all about.
“I love making people laugh. When I’m on stage and see someone really, really laughing, like their whole body is shaking, that’s a wonderful feeling,” says Bargatze. “I like when you say something that just hits someone. Even though everybody could be laughing, for some reason that person maybe had that happen to them that day, it resonated with them, so hearing that is always very gratifying.”
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