Originally published in the Chicago Sun-Times on September 21, 1995, by veteran arts and television critic Ernest Tucker, this seminal profile captures the birth of Exit 57 — the half-hour Comedy Central sketch series that first brought Chicago Second City alumni Paul Dinello, Stephen Colbert, and Amy Sedaris to national prominence alongside ensemble members Jodi Lennon and Mitch Rouse.
The New Sketch Comedy Wave: From Wells Street to National Cable
NEW YORK — In an era when network television sketch comedy is struggling under the weight of predictable celebrity impersonations and tired recurring characters, an unassuming half-hour broadcast tucked away on Comedy Central is quietly dismantling the rules of the genre.
The series is Exit 57, produced under the creative banner of HBO Downtown Productions. Its creators and ensemble stars—Paul Dinello, Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, Mitch Rouse, and Jodi Lennon—hail directly from the fertile comedic training grounds of Chicago’s Second City and the Annoyance Theatre.
Unlike traditional variety setups governed by guest hosts and musical breaks, Exit 57 operates in a self-contained, claustrophobic universe. There are no topical political monologues or impressions of Washington politicians. Instead, the sketches drop viewers without preamble into bizarre, unsettling, and intensely human situations: a pair of suburban neighbors obsessively competing over suburban trivialities, surreal hostage negotiations, or the unnerving quiet of an isolated highway rest stop.
The Chicago Second City Pedigree
“We wanted to make a show that felt like a complete world rather than a sequence of quick punchlines,” says Paul Dinello, who co-wrote the series while starring in many of its most memorable vignettes. “In Chicago, you learn that the biggest laughs don’t come from jokes—they come from relationships where the stakes are life-or-death to the characters, even if what they’re fighting about is utterly trivial.”
The chemistry between Dinello, Sedaris, and Colbert was forged during two years of grueling touring company dates across the Midwest.
“We lived on a van for months,” recalls Stephen Colbert. “When you perform eight shows a week in front of audiences ranging from college students to Midwestern civic groups, you develop an unspoken rhythm. By the time we arrived in New York to do Exit 57, we didn’t have to explain our ideas to each other. We already had our own language.”
Amy Sedaris, whose physical transformations and ferocious vocal choices anchor the show’s most unhinged moments, brought an uncompromising fearlessness to the production. Whether portraying a manic housewife or an abrasive store clerk, Sedaris refuses to seek the audience’s sympathy.
“A lot of television comedy tries too hard to be likable,” Sedaris notes. “We like characters who are flawed, stubborn, and completely unaware of how ridiculous they look. That’s where real comedy lives.”
Critical Acclaim and Five CableACE Nominations
Despite receiving limited initial promotional backing from the fledgling cable network, Exit 57 quickly became a critical darling among television reviewers. Critics praised the series for its cinematic lighting, dark thematic undercurrents, and razor-sharp pacing.
The television industry took note: the show received five CableACE Award nominations in 1995, including nominations for Best Comedy Series, Best Performance in a Comedy Series, and Best Writing.
While the series aired for only twelve episodes between 1995 and 1996, its impact on the alternative comedy community has proved enduring. For Dinello, Colbert, and Sedaris, Exit 57 represented the crucial stepping stone from Chicago theatrical improv to national television authors—laying the direct creative foundation for their subsequent masterpiece, Strangers with Candy.