The History of Comedy


The History of Comedy is a CNN documentary series, as part of CNN Original Series.
The documentary explores the underlying questions of what makes American people laugh, why, and how the laughter influenced their social and political landscape throughout American history.
The show utilizes archival footage, punctuated by contemporary interviews with comedians and scholars.

Profiles

The following comedians and satirists were featured at one point or another during the series.

Comedians

''History of the Sitcom''

In 2021, CNN followed their comedy history docuseries with History of the Sitcom, an eight-part series which traced the development of the American situation comedy show from the 1950s to the 21st Century. The show features 184 interviews with creatives, actors and directors including Norman Lear, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner.