What’s Worth Watching: ESPN Roasts Terry Bradshaw

The Friars’ Club Roast of Terry Bradshaw (Friday, Jan. 30, 8/7c, ESPN2)

Will this become a new Super Bowl week tradition, the comic sacking of a sports legend? A year ago, Boomer Esiason was roasted by the Friars in a pre-Super Bowl event that wasn’t televised. Thankfully for sports and comedy fans, ESPN2 will air excerpts from this year’s skewering of Hall of Famer/Fox Sports broadcaster and all-around good sport Terry Bradshaw in an hour-long special. The roast, hosted by Community’s Joel McHale, was taped at a luncheon Thursday at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, with McHale joined by seasoned (and infinitely bleep-able) roasters Frank Caliendo, Lisa Lampanelli, Jim Norton and Jeff Ross, as well as fellow Fox Sports talents Erin Andrews and Howie Long.

No matter how nasty anyone gets, in classic Friars tradition this is all being done for a good cause. Proceeds will benefit the Gift of Laughter Wounded Warrior Program, which provides entertainment to injured troops. Consider it a warm-up for Comedy Central’s upcoming roast of the very deserving Justin Bieber, which promises to be epic.