What people are saying about Sara Schaefer:

"Schaefer is way more into you than Conan or Leno is."

        - TimeOut New York Critic's Pick since September 2004

New York Post Hot List, January 6, 2005

"Sara Schaefer is a comedian and writer, one part irrepressible transplanted Southern belle and one part jaded New Yorker (with a healthy pinch of Mary Richards tossing her beret)...Her wonder, curiosity, and glee make this show much more fun than anything you'd catch on basic cable."

        - Amelia David, Backstage (read full review here)

Winner, Emerging Comics of New York Award, Best Host of a Variety Show 2004

"Most of us have imagined ourselves hosting our own late-night talk show—large mahogany desk, six-piece band, cameras all around—but who among us has ever gone to the trouble of actually staging one? Meet Sara Schaefer, a likable Virginia native and comedian who—as the title tells—is obsessed with you. 'Obsessed' might be the wrong word. 'Spastic' is more like it, but in a nice, kid-sister sort of way. Her hyper-kinetic routine is what makes her endearing, honest."

        - Lionel Beehner, The New York Press (read full review here)

"In her bi-weekly talk show, Sara Schaefer expertly doles out late-night parody and late-night tribute with a measured hand.  A financial analyst at a law firm by day, by night Schaefer invites musical guests and celebrities (both real and of the Law & Order variety) into the partitions of her cubicle, where she relentlessly interviews them.  The result is a compelling, funny take on the boxed-in conventions of both television and office work."

        - The Onion

"Sara Schaefer's show is charming, funny, sweet, and nutty. Just like her. In addition to her comedic talents, she's an excellent spastic dancer -- her movements are a strange combination of the nerdy and the erotic."

        - Jonathan Ames, author of What's Not to Love? and Wake Up, Sir!

"In a city where so many people are trying to out-cool each other, Sara wears her obsessions on her sleeve - literally. With her bimonthly Friday night comedy show Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You (SSIOWY), the native Virginian unleashes her inner Kelly Ripa, but her show is cooler than any daytime talk show you'll ever see. With her co-writers cast as officemates, she includes everything from special guests to giveaways, along with her own offbeat, humorous, and hugely enthusiastic personality."

        - Rachel Kramer Bussel, The Gothamist (read full interview here)

Featured as a guest on NYU Radio's "Citywide", on 89.1 FM in New York.

"Comedian Sara Schaefer has made her delusions of late-night grandeur a reality, hosting the biweekly talk show 'Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You.'  Happily adrift somewhere between paroday and the real thing, Schaefer's show follows the standard late-night format, but with tongue firmly planted in cheek."

        - Adam Bonislawski, Metro

Improv group "Jenny" to be featured on The Learning Channel's show "Faking It".

Article in The Daily News about Saturday Night Rewritten.

The New York Press

Most of us have imagined ourselves hosting our own late-night talk show—large mahogany desk, six-piece band, cameras all around—but who among us has ever gone to the trouble of actually staging one? Meet Sara Schaefer, a likable Virginia native and comedian who—as the title tells—is obsessed with you. "Obsessed" might be the wrong word. "Spastic" is more like it, but in a nice, kid-sister sort of way. Her hyper-kinetic routine is what makes her endearing, honest.

When she interviews The Daily Show's Samantha Bee, Schaefer's neither sycophantic nor trying to be sassy; she comes off as if she were chatting up Bee at a bar. She even dubs a hilarious video of herself half-aping, half-mocking Bee's correspondent gig on tv. Kimya Dawson provides musical relief, crooning out a sing-along to "The Greatest Love of All."

Schaefer's talk show takes place not on a stage but in a drab, cookie-cutter cubicle, because, as she recently told Gothamist, "Offices have to be funny, or else I would have killed myself by now." And in true Oprah fashion, she hands out free gifts to the audience.

              - Lionel Beehner, The New York Press

Backstage Comedy Best Bets 2005

Over the years at Back Stage, we've watched many turn their performance dreams into reality and tried to share with you how it was done. Sara Schaefer is a comedian and writer, one part irrepressible transplanted Southern belle and one part jaded New Yorker (with a healthy pinch of Mary Richards tossing her beret), who has a dream of being a late-night TV talk-show host. How is she making it happen? Along with the support of co-writers Amanda Melson and Kara Lee Burk and co-creator Erik Marcisak, Schaefer has been presenting a funny, homegrown, staged weekly talk show titled "Sara Schaefer Is Obsessed With You." Schaefer isn't nosy as she interviews guests and asks the audience for feedback; she just has a healthy obsession with finding out about everything. Her wonder, curiosity, and glee make this show much more fun than anything you'd catch on basic cable. The seats are packed and many comedy and radio heavy-hitters have started to take an interest. Those who have already appeared on the show include "Daily Show" correspondent Samantha Bee; writer, humorist, and alumnus of this top 10 list Jonathan Ames; and comedians Todd Barry and Marc Maron.

But what really makes this show's engine run is the naturally down-to-earth but silly hostess and her obsession with the omnipresent New York TV franchise "Law & Order." Every week, she features funny interviews with a new guest who has appeared on the series -- whether in a recurring role or as a day player, under-five, or, yes, even a dead body -- and shows a clip of the guest's performance. The show we saw featured actor Kali Karagias, who had played a hooker and who gave us a hilarious blow by blow of her experience.

But this isn't a show tied to any of the usual talk-show rules. Schaefer's magnifying glass catches "personal and cultural obsessions," she says. She also uses her Richmond, Va., background to educate us in the differences between Southern white-glove charm and etiquette and the pace and attitude of New York. (Her old clips of herself at dance class and cotillion, shown on a big screen, are priceless.)

Considering that she's only been in New York for three years, we think Schaefer is right on track. 

             - Amelia David, Backstage