Tires: Is The Public Getting Tire-D Of Shane Gillis?
Comedian Shane Gillis’ sitcom has just premiered on Netflix. Is it funny, and or should Gillis stick to his stand-up?
Of the current crop of stand-up comedians, none generate a discussion quicker than Shane Gillis. Born in Pennsylvania, the comedian has had a relatively short career, but it’s one that has been full of highlights and scrutiny.
Gillis’ Beginnings, Brush with SNL, and Later Success
Gillis made waves on various podcasts, including his own in 2017 with comedian Matt McCusker, called Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. People also noticed him at festivals for Comedy Central and Just for Laughs. Everything seemed to be going his way, when it got announced in 2019 he would be joining the main cast of Saturday Night Live (1975- ).
Unfortunately, it never happened. Later that same day, a journalist found him on a podcast episode using ethnic slurs and jokes for Chinese people. Gillis, for his part, offered an apology on social media. Regardless, he was let go by SNL four days later.
Despite that misstep, Gillis’ subsequent career has gotten an even larger following. In 2020, his sketch comedy web series Gilly and Keeves (2020–21) had several pieces that went viral. In 2021, he received glowing reviews for his YouTube special Shane Gillis: Live in Austin. He acted in Pete Davidson’s Peacock series Bupkis (2023), and has continued podcasting. His appearances on the “Protect Our Parks” episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience (2009- ), featuring other stand-ups like Mark Normand and Ari Shaffir, are very popular.
Heck, more than four years after his firing, Gillis returned to SNL! He came as a host, and his return led many to speculate on social media. Would he bring up the firing? How will he be in the sketches? His episode, which premiered back in February, didn’t leave the impact his fans and detractors thought. Gillis didn’t harp on the past that much, and was reasonably entertaining in a couple of sketches.
Shane Gillis and Netflix
Because of all the traction Gillis has received, his second stand-up special, Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs (2023) was released on Netflix. Once again getting great reviews, it seems only natural that Netflix would want to be further invested in his career. This leads us to Gillis’ new show, Tires.
Originally a pilot Gillis shot back in 2019 for YouTube, Gillis decided to self-finance the series himself, and in a move I didn’t expect, he works with virtually the main people who worked with him on Gilly and Keeves. John McKeever (the Keeves in the sketch show) directs all six episodes of the series. The main ensemble has fellow comedians from the show like Steve Gerben (who also helped create the show), Chris O’Connor, and Kilah Fox.
The only people you might’ve heard of who are in the show are comedians Andrew Schultz and Stavros Halkias. Honestly, I liked what Gillis did here. Rather than work with all of the famous people he’s met, he actively makes a project to work with and celebrate his friends. I think that’s an admirable trait, especially for show business. After finishing the series, Netflix picked it up to distribute and has already confirmed we are getting a second season! So, is it funny enough to go on?
Shane Gillis’ Approach to the Sitcom
Unlike other comedians who have made specials, movies, and shows for Netflix, like Bo Burnham, Gillis is very irreverent. He focuses on telling jokes, makes fun of everyone, and has no desire to cater to a certain political angle. It’s refreshing, especially considering the whole “cancel culture” rant he could’ve gone on. That same charming, juvenile, irreverent streak of humor can be found in Tires.
Gillis himself is the best thing about the show. So much of why his stand-up is so great is his natural ability to be funny. That works great here as well. Surprisingly, he’s not necessarily the lead role. His character (also named Shane) is more of a secondary force. Despite that, he makes his presence known and strikes the right balance of funny and likable.
The rest of the elements of the series are all…varying levels of good. Steve Gerben plays the lead of the series, Will, a semi-pathetic owner of an auto shop. Will constantly looks to please his father, who owns a chain of auto shops in Pennsylvania, but everything he’s doing seems to go wrong. Gerben is solid, but he can be grating. Sometimes, I mentally begged for Gillis to come back into the picture.
The rest of the cast adapt suitably to their roles, whether it’s Kilah Fox as the token female group member or Chris O’Connor as a very chill mechanic. The camerawork from McKeever is interesting. He seems to favor a lot of close-ups and camera zooms, not unlike The Office (2005–13). It’s not bothersome, but it does feel a little odd considering there is no mockumentary element here.
In terms of humor, the show offers a bit of everything. There are jokes about race, sex, and money, and it can be a bit lowbrow at times. However, it’s on brand for Gillis, so it’s not much of a surprise. And for the most part, everything clicked for me. It wasn’t edgy humor just for the sake of being edgy. I think a lot of people who work in similar retail jobs could relate on some level.
What’s Next for Shane Gillis?
With season two on the way, we can certainly expect more of Tires on Netflix. And Gillis has locked down another special for the streaming service as well. And honestly, I think he can do both!
I think his stand-up is much better than the show, but Tires was funny and showed a lot of promise. What more can you ask for a sitcom? Netflix might be adding to the budget for the second season, so hopefully, they’ll be helpful in the right places. After all, it took Seinfeld (1989–98) a couple of seasons to become a phenomenon. Who knows what’s in store for Tires?
