Netflix is prepped to launch the career of comedian Shane Gillis even further with the release of the 36-year-old’s own dedicated series, Tires.
He’s no unknown, by any means, but Gillis is prepped to reach a far wider audience with the release of his fresh Netflix comedy. Shows following rising comedians are extremely common, but broad success is less guaranteed. Funnymen from Jerry Seinfeld to John Mulaney have earned series of their own, but few have managed to reach the heights of the genre’s most successful.
Gillis is now getting his shot at competing with the likes of Seinfeld with Tires, a series that follows Gillis, alongside fellow comedian Steven Gerben, in a story that shares a mild resemblance with Hulu’s award-winning The Bear. Gerben plays Will, the sweet but anxious heir to a struggling auto repair chain, as he works to keep the business afloat even past the interference of his combative cousin and employee, Shane (played by Gillis).
Based on Gillis’ popularity as a comedian, which is still fresh but mounting every day, the show has a great shot at landing with audiences. His first Netflix stand up special, Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs debuted back in 2023 to excellent reviews, and with Gillis so intertwined with Tires — a series based on his own YouTube pilot — its all but guaranteed to appeal to the comedian’s rapidly-growing fanbase.
When can I watch Tires on Netflix?
The wait for Gillis’ latest project is almost over. Following the show’s announcement back in early 2024, hype for the release has been gradually building. It’s now close to boiling over, as fans prep themselves for Tires‘ May 23 release.
Gillis has hit several snags over the course of his career as a comedian, largely due to controversial statements made in his longstanding podcast, Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. Some of those statements even led to Gillis’ firing from a spot on SNL just days after he was added as a cast member. Gillis maintains that clips blasted as racist or bigoted were taken out of context, and asserts that, as a comedian, pushing boundaries comes with the territory, but he’s yet to properly reclaim the budding fame he was eyeing back in 2019.
Tires could change that. The incoming release may just be Gillis’ final shot at reaching comedy’s elusive heights, and at proving to viewers that he’s not a problematic comedian. The comedy series will release all six episodes at once, allowing audiences to make up their minds on Gillis once and for all.
