Bill Cosby returns to the stage

Bill Cosby's first comedy special in 30 years, "Far From Finished," will premiere on Comedy Central on Sunday, Nov. 23.

Ok, now that the lede is out of the way, holy heck am I excited for this. As you know, "To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With" is my favorite album of all time. Though Cosby's been touring consistently over the past few years (I still haven't seen him...I need to fix that) he has not released a new special in what seems like a million years.

Check out this preview of the new special:


OK, I do have a few thoughts.

With Cosby seated in the middle of the stage, this looks more like sit-down comedy than stand-up. It's understandable since Cosby is 76 years old, but he still seems to have the same energy and timing that made him a legend. Besides, I would watch a special where Cosby lies down behind a curtain if it meant I got to hear him do new bits.

Does anybody do faces better than Cosby? Just look at the expressions he throws out in that video. I don't know if anyone is better at making you laugh without saying a single word. I lost it at the 1:34 mark of the video. That may be the funniest face in comedy history.

He does bring up a really interesting challenge in this bit. In today's world, where a lot of comedy is based on shock value and who can be the most vulgar, is there still an audience for Cosby's family-friendly clean comedy? I think so, since obviously I will be watching, but I think people who are just being introduced to Cosby will not appreciate this special as much as die-hard fans. People who got into comedy through guys like Louis CK may see Cosby as too safe or boring. They're wrong, but I think some people will have that reaction to the special.

Regardless, I will be watching this special with my best Cosby sweater on and a pudding in my hand. "Far From Finished" airs at 7 pm Central time on Saturday, Nov. 23.