Comedy Central
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart's resident "military analyst" is vying for a new rank.
Correspondent Rob Riggle is following in the vaunted footsteps of Steve Carell, Rob Corddry, Ed Helms and Stephen Colbert, leaving Stewart's nest to develop and star in his own half-hour comedy series for CBS.
According to Variety, Riggle is mulling a number of concepts for the show, one of which might draw on his years as a major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
"I've got a notebook full of ideas that I've been keeping for many years," the funnyman told the trade.
Riggle, 38, has already put his vet background to good use on The Daily Show, filing a series of special reports from Iraq in 2007 as part of a USO tour.
Riggle hails Stewart as a "great mentor and a great friend" who had given him a lot of opportunities, including a trip to China in August to report on the Olympics.
"When I sat down and told him what's going on, he gave me a high-five. He totally got it," he said.
Riggle was a featured player on Saturday Night Live during the 2004-05 season before joining the Comedy Central news satire in 2006, helping fill the void left by the exit of then-correspondents Corddry, Colbert and Helms. Riggle's film and TV credits include Talladega Nights, the recently released Step Brothers and guest stints on Arrested Development and The Office.
He'll remain with The Daily Show through the end of this season.
The announcement of Riggle's imminent departure comes on the heels of last week's news that fellow correspondents (and real-life spouses) Samantha Bee and Jason Jones have sealed a deal with CBS to write a comedy series.