These half-hour specials showcased some of the best up-and-coming comedians of the moment. The show was a pivotal stepping stone for many of today's stand-up stars.
Social & External
Amateur comedians strut their stand-up stuff before celebrity judges in this competition.
Russell Simmons' name is in the title -- he's an executive producer -- but it's JB Smoove who is front and center as host of this stand-up showcase, which features a roster of rising comics and veteran stars doing their thing. Smoove gets into the act as well with new material, and JB also gives viewers an added bonus by performing in pre-taped sketches woven into each episode.
Def Comedy Jam is a HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons. The series had its original run from July 1, 1992 to January 1, 1997. The show returned on HBO's fall lineup in 2006. Def Comedy Jam helped to launch the careers of several African-American stand-up comedians.
Jo Brand Through the Cakehole is a British stand-up comedy television series produced by Channel X, and starring Jo Brand as the show's host. It debuted on 30 December 1993 in the United Kingdom and was broadcast on Channel 4 for three years, from 1993 to 1996.
Hosted by Dom Irerra, this bold 90s stand-up comedy show features edgy humor and performances from some of the era's top comedians.
A showcase for stand-up comedians on MTV.
A topical comedy show, mixing stand-up with sketches and impressions, starring David Baddiel, Robert Newman, Hugh Dennis and Steve Punt.
A nationwide talent search accepting the best professional and non-professional stand-up comedians. Once the selection process is narrowed to 10, the show covers the contestants as they live together and compete for an exclusive contract with NBC, and to be called the Last Comic Standing.
A British stand-up comedy programme performed from the Hammersmith Apollo Theatre in west London.
Fist of Fun was a British comedy television and radio programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring. A lot of the show's comic material was adapted from Lee and Herring's radio programme Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World. Each episode of Fist of Fun featured several disparate sketches and situations. Fist of Fun began as a BBC Radio 1 series in 1993, before becoming commissioned as a television series on BBC Two in early 1995. It was broadcast at 9pm on Tuesday nights, and was successful, but not a major ratings-winner. The second series was aired on Friday nights, and although its ratings were relatively good, the show suffered from a lack of preparation and poor promotion. The show was not given a third series, and Lee and Herring went on to write This Morning with Richard Not Judy, for BBC Two. Many other comedians who appeared in the series went on to fame themselves, including Kevin Eldon, Peter Baynham, Ronni Ancona, Alistair McGowan, Al Murray, John Thomson, Rebecca Front, Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins, Ben Moor and Sally Phillips.
Kings of Comedy was a reality television series broadcast made by Endemol for Channel 4. The show was presented by Russell Brand and narrated by Matthew Rudge. The premise was that eight comics lived in a Big Brother-style house to try to determine whether old-school comics or the newer generation are best. The winner got the chance to make his own pilot show.
Outrageous stories from stand-up comedians, musicians and more show why real life experiences always make the best material.
A compilation of stand-up from the past year, recorded in New York. It’s about love, death, dogs, and health insurance — so basically it’s comedy.
In the middle of real, everyday America, Rodney Hamilton's life revolves around two things: His family and his thankless job at a fiberglass plant..
Queens Of Comedy is a comedy talk show hosted by Shirley Souagnon, broadcast on the Enorme TV channel in 2015. Guest interviews, sketches, songs, surprises and laughs are on the program of this offbeat show with Blanche Gardin, Marie Desroles, Anne-Sophie Girard, Vérino, JoeyStarr, Lââm, Océane Rosemarie, Christine Berrou, Candiie, Solène Delannoy.
David Letterman invites some of the hottest up-and-coming stand-up stars to perform a set and sit down for a chat.
Comedian Michelle Wolf wryly riffs on nude beaches, the gross things men like and the serial killer gender gap in this three-part stand-up special.
Based on Scott Aukerman’s popular podcast of the same name, COMEDY BANG! BANG! cleverly riffs on the well-known format of the late night talk show, infusing celebrity appearances and comedy sketches with a tinge of the surreal. In each episode, Aukerman engages his guests with unfiltered and improvisational lines of questioning, punctuated by banter and beats provided by bandleader, one-man musical mastermind Reggie Watts, to reinvent the traditional celebrity interview. Packed with character cameos, filmic shorts, sketches and games set amongst an off-beat world, COMEDY BANG! BANG! delivers thirty minutes of absurd laugh-loaded fun featuring some of the biggest names in comedy.
A British comedy television series with turns of phrase and elaborate wordplay, written by and starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.
David Letterman uses mature humor to appeal to his audience in this weeknight series, which gets its music from a house band led by Paul Shaffer. Among the show's most-famous segments are the Top Ten List and Stupid Pet Tricks, the latter of which subsequently led to an additional recurring segment called Stupid Human Tricks.
Key & Peele is an American sketch comedy television show. It stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, both former cast members of MADtv. Each episode of the show consists of several pre-taped sketches starring the two actors, introduced by Key and Peele in front of a live studio audience.
Comedy sketch show with hilarious characters and absurdist twists from the duo that brought us Peep Show and The Smoking Room - David Mitchell and Robert Webb.
An American sketch comedy television program hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin.
Nick Cannon and an A-list celebrity lead a team of improv comedians as they compete against each other.
Each week celebrity guests join Irish comedian Graham Norton to discuss what's being going on around the world that week. The guests poke fun and share their opinions on the main news stories. Graham is often joined by a band or artist to play the show out.
A stand-up comedian and his three offbeat friends weather the pitfalls and payoffs of life in New York City in the '90s. It's a show about nothing.
After Jay Leno's second retirement from the program, Jimmy Fallon stepped in as his permanent replacement. After 42 years in Los Angeles the program was brought back to New York.
Two "Internetainers" (Rhett & Link) go far out and do the weirdest things, giving you a daily dose of casual comedy every Monday-Friday.
French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act.
Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the #1 show in late night, where he talks with an eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology, and more. Featuring bandleader Jon Batiste with his band Stay Human, the Emmy Award-nominated show is broadcast from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater.
When a Cincinnati radio station switches from sedate music to top-40 rock 'n' roll, its staff of oddball characters is forced to switch gears quickly. New programming director Andy Travis brings in a new DJ named Venus Flytrap to work with the station's burned-out veteran, Dr. Johnny Fever. Neurotic newsman Les Nessman, eager beaver Bailey Quarters, sleazy salesman Herb Tarlek, blonde bombshell Jennifer Marlowe, who serves as the station's ultra-capable receptionist, and station manager Arthur Carlson, whose domineering mother owns WKRP, round out the eccentric bunch.
The Fast Show is a multi BAFTA award winning sketch comedy show written and produced by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson.
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle is a comedy series created by Stewart Lee. The BBC Two series debuted on 16 March 2009, and featured stand-up routines filmed at The Mildmay Club in Newington Green, and sketches based on a weekly theme, featuring amongst others Simon Munnery, Kevin Eldon and Paul Putner with voice-over parts recorded by Peter Serafinowicz. The series is produced by Richard Webb and directed by Tim Kirkby. The programme is executive-produced by Armando Iannucci and script-edited by Chris Morris, marking a rare reformation of their creative double-act.
Comedy legend Catherine Tate plays all her best-loved characters in this riotous sketch show. Expect sulky teens, offensive nans and the most tactless women in the world.
Claude Casey moved up in the secretarial world of television news, from temp to the anchor's desk. After her boss hires her full time, Claude realizes she may be in over her head in this world of assistants fighting to get ahead. But Claude is determined to prove that though she may not be perfect, she's not going down without a fight.
A comedy sketch show featuring David Mitchell and Robert Webb.
Harry Enfield, Kathy Burke, Paul Whitehouse and others take on an array of oddball characters and old-time favorites in this sketch comedy show.