Standup superstar, Rolling Meadows High grad Sebastian Maniscalco cooks up laughs on Food Network, Discovery+
“There's two things you need to know about me: I love comedy and I love food.”
So says Sebastian Maniscalco, standup superstar and former Arlington Heights resident, in the intro of “Well Done,” a comedic culinary show whose first season debuted on Food Network this past week with back-to-back episodes. And if you like what you see at 9 p.m. Tuesday, there's already a second season, too - it premiered this week on Discovery+. (More on that in a minute.)
“Well Done” is not a competition show or a lifeless lecture. It's also not a high-class foodie tour, which is made abundantly clear with the first episode: How many TV hosts would have the guts to begin their new series with a queasy cruise on a fishing boat? Maniscalco can't handle the waves, but he can handle cutting the fish in gory close-ups.
The goal of “Well Done” is to give an offbeat look at where your food comes from and how to cook it. The second episode focuses on coffee, beginning with a geography lesson in a warehouse stacked high with sacks of beans.
“Is coffee a shady business? I mean, are we making side deals?” Maniscalco asks Craig Min, owner of L.A.'s Lamill Coffee. “I mean, just the way it's shipped, it looks like this could be illegal!”
Season 1 also features episodes on desserts, grilling, sandwiches and sushi, and includes appearances by fellow comedians Bert Kreischer and Russell Peters; “The Office” actor Oscar Nunez; and model Chrissy Teigen.
Wait, what's Discovery+?
Yes, everybody's getting into the plus game, including Discovery. Their streaming service is available on most platforms, including smart TVs and phones, and includes exclusive and original shows as well as content from Discovery Channel and its like-minded brethren: Food Network, HGTV, TLC, ID, Animal Planet, History Channel, Travel Channel and more.
Discovery+ is available for $4.99 a month with ads, $6.99 a month without.
The second season of “Well Done,” available exclusively (for now) on the streamer, starts with something perfect for the weekend: “The Signature Cocktail.”
More Maniscalco
The Rolling Meadows High School grad has three stand-up specials streaming on Netflix, including 2019's “Stay Hungry.”
You can also see him in a very different light on Netflix in Martin Scorsese's “The Irishman,” starring Robert De Niro as a hitman, Joe Pesci as a crime boss and Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa.
In the 200-minute epic, Maniscalco plays a mobster named Crazy Joe Gallo whose big scene takes place at ... a restaurant! That casting was certainly well done.
Sean Stangland is an assistant news editor who wants to binge-watch all the Samantha Brown shows on Discovery+.