How Chris Gethard took his boundary-pushing talk show from public access to cable TV without losing its fun and spontaneous soul

A. Bisdale/truTV

"The Chris Gethard Show."

• "The Chris Gethard Show" is a live weekly show hosted by comedian Chris Gethard.
• Gethard's show allows its audience members and fans to be a part of the show.
• Gethard purposefully chose not to stick to the traditional talk show format for his show.

Prior to taping "The Chris Gethard Show," host Chris Gethard can be found chatting with audience members in such a casual manner that you find yourself wondering if everyone in the audience is an old pal of his.

But Gethard just wants his guests to feel welcome, and like they're part of a "community."

Gethard remains amiable with his guests even when the cameras start to roll, and often chats with them throughout the show. Large portions of the show are allocated for call-ins from fans, where they ask questions, tell stories, and sometimes just share a few seconds on air with Gethard.

It's not unusual, or rare even for hosts to engage with their guests. But "The Chris Gethard Show's" high level of audience inclusion, including spontaneous dancing, and the way Gethard interacts with his guests, challenges the very notion of what you can and cannot do on a talk show.

"The Chris Gethard Show" originally aired live on the New York City public access channel MNN in 2011. Gethard shot the talk show on a set that largely resembled a basement, where he would conduct interviews with friends from the local comedy circuit, give comedians a platform to do various character bits, and invite viewers to call into the show to answer a question, or tell a story.

It wasn't until 2015, when "The Chris Gethard Show" got picked up by Fusion, that Gethard's show got a serious cable TV makeover. This included a stylized new set, and access to celebrity guests like Diddy and Will Ferrell. Gethard would interview his guests, and invite them to partake in unusual activities. In one episode, Gethard asked Ferrell to deliver a speech to a couple who got married on the show, and in another he held an underwater themed prom, which Lena Dunham came to in a full mermaid costume.

But Fusion chose to pre-tape the talk show rather than shooting it live - something that Gethard felt left something to be desired. After a year on Fusion, "The Chris Gethard Show" moved to truTV in May 2017, and went back to live taping, gaining back its edge and the show's unpredictability factor.

Since then Gethard has continued to create strange new segments at his new home on truTV, and now delights in the idea of continuing to push the boundaries of what he can do on his talk show. This season Gethard spent an entire episode working out while interviewing "The Mindy Project" star Adam Pally, and invited circus performers to teach Seth Meyers how to balance a spinning plate.

Gethard isn't trying to be a "rebel" or "change the talk show" by any means, he just doesn't want to feel bound to any particular way of making a talk show, he said.

Gethard spoke to Business Insider about what inspired him to deviate from the traditional talk show format, and why he still wants things to "look messed up" on his show.

Here's what Gethard had to say about "The Chris Gethard Show":