Jim Gaffigan is one of my favorite comics, and he was always underused on “My Boys.” So it’s great to hear that NBC has a bought a sitcom about his life.

NBC has bought a single-camera comedy from actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan, Universal TV and Scot Armstrong and Ravi Nandan’s studio-based American Work. Gaffigan will write and star in the project based on his life as a lazy man, married to a strong woman, raising 4 children in a 2 bedroom apartment in New York City. [Deadline]

It’s not exactly the most enticing premise, but what comedy has a great premise? “A former pro baseball player runs a bar” isn’t a markedly better concept than “a longtime bachelor marries into a Mexican-American family,” but I can say with confidence that “Cheers” is better than Rob Schneider’s forthcoming CBS sitcom.

The difference is usually the actors and writing, and while we can’t jump to conclusions about what the writing will be like, I can say with confidence that nobody does “lazy but exasperated” quite like Gaffigan:

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I’ve spent entirely too much time writing about late-night shows recently, especially “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.”  But I have to satisfy my comedic nerdiness by pointing out that Conan’s guests last night were Norm MacDonald and Jim Gaffigan (video clips below).  For any non-believers: Conan wrote the monorail episode of “The Simpsons,” Norm intentionally bombed at the Bob Saget roast, and Gaffigan once did three and a half minutes of jokes about bacon.  Amazing.  That’s a mere Patton Oswalt away from having a Mount Rushmore of underrated comedy geek heroes.

Of course, every one of these guys is the kind of comic that doesn’t appeal to Leno-loving old people, and Conan’s musical guest was indie darling Neko Case, so I won’t be surprised when the news comes that Letterman — who had Denzel Washington and the freakin’ Jonas Brothers last night — won in Thursday’s ratings.  But I don’t care.  Most people don’t have taste.  Last night’s “Tonight Show” kicked ass.  Period.

UNSURPRISING UPDATE: Letterman 3.5, Conan 3.0. You’re so predictable, America.

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I’m not gonna lie to you: Jim Gaffigan is one of the few people on Earth that I admire more than myself.  And this Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Comedy Central will air his new hour-long stand-up special “King Baby.”  I have no proof that it’s going to be awesome, but let’s face it: it’s going to be awesome.

If you, like me, are all about the latest in Jim Gaffigan news, you can read this entertaining interview by Fancast.  After the jump are three preview clips from “King Baby,” and of course they’re all about food.  The first one is his classic bacon material, then there are additional clips about Waffle House and bologna.  Admire and applaud his work, or you’re dead to me.  And by “to me” I mean “biologically.”  I keep my death threats subtle.

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