‘Well Done With Sebastian Maniscalco’ brings comedy with food knowledge

Say one thing about Sebastian Maniscalco, he’ll do anything for good television.

And so it was this past summer in the premiere episode of the discovery+ series “Well Done With Sebastian Maniscalco,” viewers were treated to the sight of the stand-up comic getting seasick during a fishing trip off the coast of Southern California and later butchering the fileting of a whitefish.

A gamer the man certainly is.

“I knew I had a problem with nausea when I go on a boat but I wanted to get over that fear,” the 48-year-old explains. “So I figured, oh, this is a bigger boat, maybe I’ll have a better result. And within five minutes, I was on the floor. It was not a good scene for me. But you know, we did the episode and it turned out to be good TV for me. I mean, I have no problems showing my weaknesses on television.”

Season 2 begins streaming Tuesday, Nov. 16 (the same date Season 1 joins the prime-time lineup on Food Network) and finds the Illinois-born, Los Angeles-based comedian once again doing a deep dive into the world of food while offering up his signature witticisms and wry social commentary.

The new round of six episodes will find Maniscalo returning to his old job of bartender to create a signature cocktail for fellow comic Whitney Cummings; explore why children are picky eaters with Nick and Vanessa Lachey, learn how noodles are used in different cuisines around the world with comic Bobby Lee; and examine canine food habits with “Dog Whisperer” Cesar Millan.

Doing this series has been a blast for Maniscalco, who is into food and wine (he hates the term “foodie”) though he’s the first to admit he has next to no chops in the kitchen. He enjoys spending time around cooks and cooking and filming these episodes in a way has brought him back to his childhood.

“For me, food has always been a connection to my family,” he says. “That’s kind of where it all happened growing up, at the kitchen table. We would sit down, discuss life, what happened during the day. And that’s kind of continued throughout my life, not only with my family, but my friends. So I think if we could get a little sushi night at the house and have some laughs and get blasted on sake, I think it would be a nice little evening.”