The Jim Gaffigan Show

The Jim Gaffigan Show (2015–2016) is an American comedy television series created by Jim Gaffigan and Peter Tolan, with Gaffigan and his wife Jeannie serving as its principal writers. Gaffigan stars as a fictionalised version of himself, a New York stand-up comedian trying to balance his career with marriage and raising five children in a cramped two-bedroom Manhattan apartment. Ashley Williams plays his wife Jeannie, while Adam Goldberg portrays his fellow comedian and frequently troublesome friend Dave Marks. Michael Ian Black appears as Jeannie’s best friend Daniel, and Tongayi Chirisa plays Father Nicholas, a young Catholic priest who regularly becomes involved in the family’s affairs. The series also features appearances by numerous comedians playing themselves, including Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Burr, John Mulaney, Artie Lange and Jon Stewart. Based partly on the Gaffigans’ own experiences, the sitcom premiered on TV Land on 15 July 2015 and ran for two seasons comprising 23 episodes before ending in August 2016.

The Jim Gaffigan Show was filmed extensively on location in New York City, particularly in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, East Village, Nolita and surrounding neighbourhoods. Production began in 2015, with the first season requiring approximately four months of filming. According to Jeannie Gaffigan, around 90 per cent of the production was shot on location, an unusually high proportion for an American sitcom. The couple wanted to portray the New York they actually knew, using neighbourhood restaurants, comedy clubs, churches and streets rather than relying on familiar skyline shots or anonymous studio interiors. The series consequently features dozens of recognisable establishments across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, many of which were regular destinations for the real Gaffigan family. Some locations appear only briefly, while others become recurring settings throughout both seasons.

The family’s apartment was one of the few major environments recreated on a soundstage. The fictional Gaffigans live in a two-bedroom apartment based directly on the real home Jim and Jeannie shared with their five children before moving to larger accommodation in 2015. The production measured the original rooms and copied the layout, furniture and general appearance, although Jim later acknowledged that the studio version was slightly larger to accommodate cameras and equipment. Jeannie paid particular attention to the small details of family life, insisting that the rooms should look sufficiently untidy for a household containing seven people. She even requested additional crumbs on the dining table when she felt that the set appeared too clean. The resulting apartment became the show’s principal domestic setting, with much of the comedy revolving around the difficulty of finding privacy and maintaining ordinary family routines in such limited space.

One of the most frequently used locations is Katz’s Delicatessen at 205 East Houston Street on the Lower East Side. The historic Jewish delicatessen, which dates back to 1888, appears throughout the series as a favourite meeting place for Jim and Dave. The two regularly sit together discussing careers, relationships and their increasingly complicated personal lives, usually while Jim concentrates on whatever he is eating. The restaurant appears in the opening episode, when Dave and Jim discuss the possibility of another Gaffigan child, and returns in several later stories. In “Superdad” (Season 1, Episode 8), they discuss a magazine article celebrating Jim as an exemplary father, which has created tension between him and Jeannie. In “Maria” (Season 1, Episode 10), the deli becomes part of the story involving Dave’s attraction to Jeannie’s younger sister. Katz’s also appears repeatedly throughout the second season, including scenes involving Dave’s attempts to establish himself as a television writer.

Katz’s was a natural choice for the production because Gaffigan was already a regular customer. He had lived in Lower Manhattan for many years and preferred established neighbourhood businesses to restaurants designed primarily for tourists. In an interview during production, he explained that Katz’s was particularly convenient for filming because of its spacious interior, although the crew had to complete its work before the restaurant became crowded. This often meant arriving very early in the morning, sometimes around six o’clock. Gaffigan joked that Adam Goldberg was less enthusiastic about having to eat at the deli at such an hour. The production used the actual restaurant rather than a recreated interior, preserving its long counters, crowded walls, wooden tables and familiar dining area.

Another recurring setting is Gotham Comedy Club at 208 West 23rd Street in Chelsea. The club, established in 1996, has long been an important venue on New York’s stand-up circuit and appears as one of Jim’s regular workplaces. The pilot episode opens with him finishing a performance at Gotham, establishing his professional life before returning to the chaos of his family apartment. The venue reappears throughout the first season, often serving as a meeting place for Jim and his comedian friends. In “My Friend the Priest” (Season 1, Episode 7), Jim tests material for an appearance on The Tonight Show, only to discover that Jeannie expects him to bring Father Nicholas along. In “The Bible Story” (Season 1, Episode 9), the club is used for scenes involving Chris Rock and a restaurant representative interested in exploiting Jim’s public image. The real Gotham Comedy Club was used for filming, and its management has subsequently acknowledged the venue’s role in the series.

The East Village is another important part of the show’s geography. In the pilot episode, Jim and Jeannie visit Veselka, the Ukrainian restaurant at 144 Second Avenue near East Ninth Street. Over a meal of pierogi, they discuss the practical difficulties of raising five children in their small apartment and whether they should consider moving. Established in 1954, Veselka was another favourite of the real Gaffigans, who specifically wanted to feature older neighbourhood establishments. The restaurant returns in the second season during “My Brother’s Keeper” (Episode 9), when Jim’s brother Mitch, played by Andy Richter, visits New York with ambitions of becoming a comedian. Mitch chooses Veselka partly because of its association with another comedian, Louis C.K., whose career he hopes to emulate.

The family’s Catholic faith brings several episodes to the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral at 263 Mulberry Street in Nolita. This was particularly appropriate because it was also the real Gaffigans’ church. The production filmed there on 8 April 2015, and a journalist from Bedford + Bowery witnessed a scene in which Jim and Jeannie emerge from the building with their five children. Father Nicholas approaches Jim outside, asks for his autograph and insists on taking a photograph with him. The scene uses the actual church entrance and surrounding pavement rather than a studio recreation. The cathedral, completed in 1815, is one of Manhattan’s oldest surviving Catholic churches and should not be confused with the much larger St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. It appears several times during the series, including episodes in which Jim struggles with his faith, his public reputation and the demands placed upon him by Father Nicholas.

Several first-season episodes move beyond the family’s immediate neighbourhood. In “A Night at the Plaza” (Episode 3), Jim attempts to organise a romantic anniversary celebration for Jeannie at the Plaza Hotel, the historic luxury hotel overlooking Central Park at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South. What he imagines as an uninterrupted evening together becomes increasingly complicated when Daniel, Dave and other acquaintances interfere. The episode also takes Jim to the TKTS ticket booth in Times Square, where he attempts to obtain Broadway tickets. The Plaza’s elegant surroundings provide a deliberate contrast to the family’s crowded apartment, although Jim discovers that expensive accommodation does not necessarily guarantee a peaceful evening.

The following episode, “In the Name of the Father” (Season 1, Episode 4), uses several well-known Midtown establishments. Jim and Jeannie join Daniel and his father for dinner at Smith & Wollensky, the steakhouse at 797 Third Avenue. The evening becomes increasingly uncomfortable as the strained relationship between Daniel and his father develops into an argument, with Jim and Jeannie caught between them. The group subsequently visits Gotham Comedy Club, where Jim is expected to perform despite having consumed too much alcohol. Their evening continues at Sardi’s on West 44th Street, the famous theatre-district restaurant whose walls are covered with caricatures of performers and other entertainment personalities. These scenes take the characters through several different parts of Manhattan during a single increasingly disastrous night.

Central Park appears in “Red Velvet If You Please” (Season 1, Episode 2), when Jim is supposed to take his daughter to a children’s birthday party at Sheep Meadow. Accompanied by Dave, who is suffering from a hangover, he becomes distracted by another gathering that appears to offer better food. The episode uses the park’s open lawns and large numbers of visitors as the setting for another story about Jim’s inability to resist temptation. Other first-season locations include the 92nd Street Y, where Jeannie participates in a public discussion about parenting in “Superdad”, and Rockefeller Center, where Jim visits the studios of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The latter appears in “My Friend the Priest”, with Jimmy Fallon making a guest appearance as himself.

The Bowery Ballroom at 6 Delancey Street on the Lower East Side was used for several scenes involving Jim’s comedian friends. The historic music venue, housed in a building dating from 1929, appears in “Go Shorty, It’s Your Birthday” (Season 1, Episode 6), when Dave organises a birthday party attended by numerous stand-up comedians. Jim is supposed to be celebrating Jeannie’s birthday but becomes distracted by Dave’s gathering, leading to another argument about his priorities. The production returned to the venue in “Maria”, when Jim and Jeannie follow Dave and Jeannie’s younger sister as they spend an evening together. This episode also uses the former Statler Grill at the Hotel Pennsylvania near Madison Square Garden and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre on West 26th Street, where Dave performs. Local journalist Traven Rice interviewed Gaffigan during filming at the Bowery Ballroom in the spring of 2015, providing contemporary confirmation that the production was working inside the actual venue.

One of the first season’s more unusual episodes is “Wonderful” (Episode 11), a variation on It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). After a particularly exhausting period of family life, Jim imagines how things might have turned out if he had never married Jeannie. Steve Buscemi appears as a guardian angel who introduces him to this alternative existence. The episode makes use of several real East Village establishments, including the East Sixth Street Barber Shop, Eastville Comedy Club and the Library Bar at 7 Avenue A. In this fictional version of New York, Jeannie works at the bar while Jim has become a rather different kind of comedian. Katz’s Delicatessen also returns, but Jim discovers that the restaurant no longer exists in his imaginary alternative reality. The familiar locations help distinguish the ordinary world of the series from the different life Jim believes he might have preferred.

The second season expanded the use of New York locations considerably. In “The Calling” (Season 2, Episode 1), Jim becomes convinced that he should find a more meaningful purpose in life, particularly after Father Nicholas repeatedly encourages him to become involved in community work. His attempts to avoid the priest take him through several historic Lower Manhattan businesses. He visits Yonah Schimmel’s Knish Bakery at 137 East Houston Street and McSorley’s Old Ale House at 15 East Seventh Street, both long-established New York institutions. He also visits Tacombi Nolita at 267 Elizabeth Street, a Mexican restaurant operating from a converted garage with a Volkswagen van incorporated into its serving area. Jerry Seinfeld appears as himself during the episode, offering Jim advice about his supposed calling.

Tacombi Nolita returns in “Ugly” (Season 2, Episode 3), when Jim and Dave meet to discuss a potential film role. The two enter the restaurant, order food and sit down to talk about the opportunity. As usual, Jim’s appetite becomes part of the conversation rather than merely something happening in the background. The restaurant’s distinctive interior, including its exposed brickwork and Volkswagen serving counter, is clearly recognisable. Like Katz’s and Veselka, Tacombi was used as an actual New York business rather than a fictional restaurant created specifically for the programme.

Food becomes an even more important geographical element in “The Trial” (Season 2, Episode 2). In this episode, Jim finds himself facing an absurd public trial in which his eating habits are treated as evidence against him. The prosecution presents a succession of visits to New York food businesses, including A Salt & Battery on Greenwich Avenue, Big Gay Ice Cream on Grove Street, Bleecker Street Pizza, Five Guys and fast-food establishments around Union Square. The episode also features Papaya King on St. Marks Place, where Jim is seen ordering a hot dog. Rather than relying on one restaurant for the entire joke, the sequence moves through a variety of recognisable establishments, turning Jim’s appetite into an exaggerated record of his movements around Manhattan.

The second-season episode “The List” (Episode 4) is particularly notable for its extensive use of New York’s comedy scene. Jim becomes obsessed with a list ranking the city’s stand-up comedians after discovering that he has been left off it. His attempts to improve his standing take him far beyond his usual neighbourhood. He visits the Comic Strip on Second Avenue on the Upper East Side, where comedians discuss their positions on the list, and meets Dave at Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. The search then moves to Brooklyn, where locations include Swallow Cafe and Fine & Raw Chocolate in Bushwick. Jim also performs at Union Hall in Park Slope, attempting to impress the person he believes is responsible for the rankings. The venue, known for its upstairs bar and downstairs performance space, was one of several smaller comedy establishments featured during the episode.

The same storyline also reaches Queens, where Jim performs at Q.E.D. on 23rd Avenue in Astoria. The intimate comedy and arts venue is considerably smaller than the established Manhattan clubs where he normally performs. Jim hopes that appearing before a different audience will improve his reputation within the city’s alternative comedy scene, but his attempts do not go particularly well. These episodes show a broader range of New York comedy venues than the recurring Gotham Comedy Club, including spaces associated with independent performers and smaller experimental shows.

In “No Good Deed” (Season 2, Episodes 5–7), Jim’s professional relationship with Dave becomes increasingly complicated when he agrees to let his friend open a performance at Carolines on Broadway, the well-known comedy club formerly located at 1626 Broadway near Times Square. The storyline also includes the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum at Pier 86, where Jim spends time with his family before receiving a telephone call about a radio appearance. He subsequently visits the SiriusXM studios on Avenue of the Americas to appear on the Opie and Jim Norton Show. The three-part story brings together several genuine entertainment venues and media workplaces, with Dave eventually becoming involved in a television project that threatens to overshadow Jim’s own career.

The show’s interest in real comedy venues continues in “My Brother’s Keeper” (Season 2, Episode 9). Jim’s older brother Mitch arrives in New York after deciding to abandon his banking career and become a stand-up comedian. The episode features Gotham Comedy Club and the Comedy Cellar on MacDougal Street, where Mitch accompanies Jim to see Dave perform. The two also visit Ben’s Pizzeria nearby, as Mitch attempts to retrace places associated with Louis C.K.’s career. These locations were already closely connected to New York comedy culture before appearing in the series, and their inclusion reflects the show’s regular references to actual comedians, performances and professional rivalries.

One of the later episodes, “Jim at the Museum” (Season 2, Episode 10), moves the action away from comedy clubs and restaurants when Jim takes all five children to the American Museum of Natural History on Central Park West. With Jeannie unavailable, he attempts to manage the family outing alone but becomes increasingly overwhelmed and eventually loses track of the children inside the museum. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson makes a guest appearance as himself. The episode also involves the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue, where Dave mistakenly believes he is supposed to meet Jim. The storyline makes use of two of New York’s most recognisable museums, turning a seemingly ordinary family excursion into another test of Jim’s abilities as a father.

Although the series ran for only two seasons, it provides an unusually detailed record of New York’s restaurants, comedy clubs and neighbourhood businesses during the mid-2010s. Some of its most prominent locations, including Katz’s Delicatessen, Veselka, Gotham Comedy Club and St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, had long histories before the programme was made. Others, such as the Statler Grill, Carolines on Broadway and several smaller comedy venues, have since closed or changed considerably. The combination of real neighbourhood locations and a carefully recreated family apartment was central to the production’s approach. Rather than portraying Manhattan only through famous landmarks, The Jim Gaffigan Show repeatedly returns to the ordinary establishments where its characters eat, work, meet friends and deal with the complications of family life.

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