Jim Gaffigan: King Baby

One of those “overnight sensations” whose overnight took 17 years, Jim Gaffigan is a comedian who is making a face for himself: i.e., the name may not be familiar, but you might recognize him from his Sierra Mist commercials or his role as PJ's married older brother on the TBS sitcom My Boys. But standup is his true métier. Gaffigan does not shock audiences into laughter, but rather takes a refreshingly clean approach, eschewing hot button issues to expound on his favorite themes: laziness and food. Filmed in Austin, TX, this Comedy Central presentation is a worthy follow-up to Gaffigan's breakthrough Beyond the Pale special (which contained his signature Hot Pockets routine). One of King Baby's highlights is the comic's bacon bit. “You want to know how good bacon is?” he states, “To improve other food they wrap it in bacon.” While King Baby is a filling main course, the DVD also serves up a banquet of bonus features, including a funny and thoughtful XM/Sirius radio interview, Comedy Central promos for Gaffigan's “Beyond the Pale” and “Sexy” tours, four webisodes of Gaffigan's faux-nature series Our Massive Planet, and—best of all—three episodes from the Emmy-nominated animated series Pale Force, in which superhero Jim Gaffigan and his scrawny, cowardly sidekick, Conan O'Brien, fight the tan-side with their paleness. Recommended. Aud: P. (D. Liebenson)