Last Comic Standing 3. Episode 1: Welcome Back, My Friends

August 30, 2004 sees the return of Last Comic Standing to the NBC network, only two and a half weeks after the ending of the second season. Although the competition begins with this episode (something some fans may have missed out on, expecting this episode to just be a recap of the first two seasons), there is a review of the comics in the first half-hour of this 90-minute special.

With that in mind, we should mention a few columns that may be of interest to readers either just joining us, or who may have missed some of our columns pertaining to the comics from the show.

Back in June we managed to track down several of the comics from the first season of Last Comic Standing and they brought us up to date on what has been happening in their lives. To read about what Dave, Rob, Rich, Corey, Tere had to say in June, along with updates on the others, click here. Speaking of that article, we're happy to see that Sean Kent now has his own website, which can be viewed here. So, you can check out what's up with Sean currently there.

Fans may also want to check out our most recent interview with an LCS comic, which went up on August 29 - our interview with Jay London. That's only the start of several interviews with the comics from LCS that will be appearing in the next several days, so keep checking out RNO to see the new interviews as they're posted.

For those of you that may have missed it, we also have a breakdown of how the new show will work. Not only does it have details as to how the two houses will challenge each other during the next few weeks, but also who is coming back to do the show and a schedule of what to expect each week on the show. So, if you want to get a better understand of how they two houses will compete, please give the article a look.

With that all in mind, let's take a look to see how LCS is getting ready for the "Battle for the Best."

Jay is spotlighted, tall amongst the lights of L.A. - a god amongst the stars… okay, that's laying a bit too thick - as he welcomes his "fellow Americans" to the show. He then introduces a short recap of the LCS1 comics, with Rich Vos, Tess Drake, and Dat all being showcased with a joke from the first season. The same is done for the LCS2 crew, with Corey, Tammy, and Jay London shown doing a joke each as well. The moments where Dat won the first season and John won the second are also shown, followed by Jay briefly running over the rules about the show.

Nearly live from CBS Television City in Hollywood, California [Note from Mike: You may always think of The Carol Burnett Show when you hear that place, but I'll forever associate it with Press Your Luck. So there.] comes the first episode of LCS3, and jay walks out on stage to the applause of the crowd. After a joke about the the balcony area making the people there look like they're from The Muppet Show, Jay talks a little about the show. [Note from Mike: Does that mean "it's time to get things started"? Heh.] LCS is the "little summer show that could," Jay says, and after eight weeks in the fall, "we're gone, just like most NBC shows." He then sets up a montage of footage with the comics from LCS1, who discuss what they want to do in the new season. Besides winning, of course, the consensus seems to be on pushing the limits of what they did before, both in terms of "pushing the envelope" and showing viewers how they have developed as comedians since last year.

With the montage over, the ten comics from LCS1 come out. Jay then introduces a similar montage for the LCS2 comics. Here the group also talks about winning, but go on to suggest that they are a "cohesive unit" now and will work together to win the show. John mentions that, thanks to the money being offered, the show will be called the "Get John Out of Debt Show," while Todd jokes about tough he is, even with two prosthetic legs and a hand.

Nine comics come out, as Jay explains that Bonnie McFarland did not want to participate in the program. For this reason (and as we explained in our "how they will do it" article), the remaining LCS2 comics were asked to choose a comic from the women who made it to the Vegas finals. They go with Jessica Kirson and a brief snippet of her act is shown. Jessica gets a hug from Jay as she comes out on-stage before moving over to join the nine LCS2 comics.

Jay thinks a good way to have the two teams compete would be as "shirts and skins," but instead the two houses will be sent into "war-rooms," which look to be the most comfy war-rooms ever seen outside of the Bush Administration's. The two teams are told to pick five comics from the other show that should go up to be part of the first competition. When all twenty return to the stage, footage is shown of how the comics reacted to each other in their respective war-rooms. The LCS2 group appear to be having a better time together, and even join hands for a little "I Want Attention" sing-along. Meanwhile, the LCS1 people are very serious about picking the comics they want to see go up and argue a bit while going through the names.

Tere is brought out of the LCS1 group to stand with Jay and tell the audience who the LCS1 house has picked as the five comics they feel they are "funnier than." They pick Jessica (who does a nice "confused, how-dare-you" walk to the front of the stage), Todd (who tries to bolt from the stage before being dragged up to the front), Alonzo, John, and Tammy. The other five LCS2 comics hug the others and then head offstage before they're forcibly removed by Jay.