Comedian Henry Cho has been coming to The Comedy Catch in Brainerd for more than a decade. For a longer period, he has been working on a television sitcom based on his life, which has been updated as he has moved from single and just out of college to married with children.
“I’ve had five different Henry Cho deals,” he said. It should come as no surprise then that Cho remains cautiously optimistic after getting word that CBS has picked up the show for development.
“It may never see the light of day, or they may call today,” he said from his home in Brentwood, Tenn.
“Either way, there is no downside to the Chos.”
Cho, who performs this weekend at The Comedy Catch, said doing the show is important to him, but he is adamant that it be done well. Since it is based on his life growing up as a Korean-American in East Tennessee, he wants to make sure his image is protected.
“I’ve had other offers, and I wouldn’t do them,” he said. “I’ve always protected my character, and I didn’t want to do a show and be the fifth wheel.”
Cho said the current adaptation of his show takes the storyline from single guy to right out of college to married with nearly grown children.
“I’ve given them eight years’ worth of scripts,” he said. “I’ve shown them the beginning and the end. It’s Bill Cosby meets Bob Newhart meets Andy Griffith. The key is I am the dad, and I am the smartest guy in the room.”
He said too often the dad is portrayed as a bumbling idiot.
“As I’ve pitched the idea, I’ve also told them there will be no special episodes with slow-motion promos. I’m not getting pregnant, and we will not be going to Hawaii.”
Whether he becomes the star of his own sitcom or not, Cho said he always will do stand-up.
“That is my day job,” he said. “It is so different, and it is the best. I’m the writer, producer, editor, everything. I don’t have to have a committee meeting to tell me a joke is funny.”
If You Go
* What: Henry Cho.
* When: 7:30 tonight, 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday.
* Where: The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Road.
* Admission: $15.
* Phone: 622-2233.