Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The History of Comedy Returns to CNN; Showtime Gets First Late Night Talk Show

The History of Comedy

The critically-acclaimed CNN Original Series The History of Comedy returns for a second season on Sunday, July 15, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). From executive producers Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner (Hazy Mills) with Emmy Award winners Mark Herzog and Christopher G. Cowen (Herzog & Company), and showrunner Stephen J. Morrison, the six-part docuseries examines what makes people laugh and how comedy has affected the social and political landscape throughout history.

The History of Comedy uses archival footage punctuated by contemporary interviews with comedy legends, scholars and current stars including Sean Hayes, Judd Apatow, Lily Tomlin, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Mo'Nique, Conan O'Brien, Tim Allen, Billy Eichner, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Kenny and Keith Lucas, Mike Myers, W. Kamau Bell, Marc Maron, Whitney Cummings, Jim Jefferies, Rachel Bloom, Jim Gaffigan, Sinbad, Catherine O'Hara and many more. The series returns with an episode about sexual humor and how it pushes the limits of both comfort and political correctness. Additional episodes, airing Sunday nights at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), will explore comedy duos/teams, comedy in animation, sketch comedy, family-friendly comedy and comedy legends gone too soon.


Desus and Mero

SHOWTIME has ordered a weekly half-hour late-night series starring Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, scheduled for premiere in 2019. The first ever weekly late-night talk show on SHOWTIME will feature popular TV and podcast personalities Desus and Mero, speaking highly off the cuff and chatting with guests at the intersection of pop culture, sports, music, politics and more. Longtime acquaintances Desus (Daniel Baker) and Mero (Joel Martinez) reconnected online in the early days of Twitter, where they unleashed their potent personalities and found themselves kindred spirits. That led to a groundbreaking podcast that the rising stars turned into the weeknight talk show Desus and Mero, developing a feverish following. Bringing a distinct voice to late night, Desus and Mero talk spontaneously about anything and everything - including the toughest topics - but laughs are first and foremost on their agenda. The comedians have also appeared in Uncommon Sense, Joking Off and Guy Code, while continuing to host the Bodega Boys podcast. Produced by SHOWTIME in New York, the show will be executive produced by Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, and Victor Lopez.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, April 2

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Three Angry Women and a Prophylactic" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mandy’s attempt to help Missy (Raegan Revord) with boys backfires when Mary (Zoe Perry) finds out and Georgie is caught in the crossfire.

Ghosts - "The Water Heater" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sam and Jay try to replace their broken water heater, but Isaac turns the upgrade into a campaign issue in his bid to represent the basement ghosts. Meanwhile, Kyle (Ben Feldman) attempts to make Bela jealous by pretending he’s dating Hetty.

Animal Control - "Bats and Camels" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Templeton and Frank compete for the endorsement of a legendary Animal Control officer in an effort to win Animal Control officer of the year; Emily spirals when Shred goes on a date with Daisy's friend.

Going Dutch - "Apache Helicopter Parent" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Stroopsdorf hosts its first-ever international peace talks, and when Captain Maggie is assigned the seemingly simple task of handing out cheese, The Colonel turns into a full-blown helicopter parent.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 30)

Thursday, April 2

  • Elizabeth Banks (30 Rock/Scrubs) - Catch Elizabeth on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Jimmy O. Yang (Interior Chinatown/Space Force/Silicon Valley) - Jimmy appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Ramy Youssef (#1 Happy Family USA/Ramy/See Dad Run) - Ramy stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules/Ladies Man) - Kaley appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Erik Griffin (I'm Dying Up Here/Blunt Talk/Workaholics) - Erik is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Constance Zimmer (Entourage/Good Morning, Miami) - Constance tells Sherri about the new season of The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix and her "Talk 50 to Me" podcast on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Zendaya (K.C. Undercover/Shake It Up) - Drew is chatting with Zendaya about her newest movie The Drama on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney guest co-hosts The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Arsenio Hall (Arsenio) - Arsenio talks about Arsenio: A Memoir with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Sean Giambrone (The Goldbergs) - Sean and Gaten Matarazzo talk about Pizza Movie on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


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