Fusion Gives Fourth-Season Nod toThe Jim Henson Company's ‘No, You Shut Up!’

From Variety

Fans of Star Schlessinger, the conservative Christian squirrel, and Yerd Nerp, a one-eyed alien activist, will be pleased to know they, and the many other odd characters they hang around with, will continue to have adventures on cable’s Fusion. 

The network, owned jointly by Univision and ABC News, has given a fourth-season nod to “No, You Shut Up!”, in which host Paul F. Tompkins and a cadre of unusual anthropomorphic creatures who hail from the Jim Henson Company talk over the burning issues of the day. Fusion has given a 25-episode order to the show, the largest it has made in its short history (the network launched in October of 2013). Fusion will air two “No, You Shut Up!” special reports on Thursday, November 5, and Thursday, November 12 at 10:00 p.m, during which Tompkins and cohorts will analyze the current field of candidates for President. 

The series, which will return to the air officially on February 4, 2016, will focus strongly on the 2016 election cycle. “I can’t wait to jump into this election season with ‘No, You Shut Up!,’” said Tompkins, in a statement. “What a challenge it will be to make a comedy show more ridiculous than the system by which we elect the leader of the free world! I am thrilled to be back with this amazingly talented group of people — and the non-people they give voice to.” 

“Shut Up’ is Fusion’s bid to use comedy as a means of analyzing the news, much as HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” or Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” do. “Shut Up” has been on Fusion since the network launched, and has gradually evolved from a short program in which Tompkins held forth with everything from a bickering red-and-blue crab couple to a talking hot dog (known as Talking Hot Dog) to a longer program with more segments involving the host in standalone fashion as well as visiting guests. 

The show was created by David Javerbaum and is produced by The Jim Henson Company’s Henson Alternative banner, its label for content created for adult audiences. Tompkins, Nelson Walters, Lisa Henson, and Brian Henson serve as executive producers. The third season featured a wide-range of guests including Jack Black, Matt Walsh , Keegan M. Key and Jordan Peele, Bob Odenkirk, Judy Greer and Danny Pudi.