The History of The Sitcom Documentary Series 4 DVD Set All EIGHT Episodes (2021-Featuring 184 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS with Norman Lear, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner in his last recorded interview and MANY MORE!)

Description

Documentary Series Description: History of the Sitcom is an eight-part documentary series that traces 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, Yvette Lee Bowser, Marta Kauffman, and Carl Reiner (in his last recorded interview).

The series takes an expansive view of what can be considered a sitcom; it includes traditional programs shot with multiple cameras in front of a live audience like I Love Lucy as well as modern single camera programs like Fleabag. The decision about which programs to include, according to series producer Bill Carter, came down to: “If the overarching purpose of the show is to make you laugh, it can be considered a sitcom. And in almost all cases, the shows are half-hours rather than hours.

History of the Sitcom began production just before the pandemic and used the rest of the year to interview a whopping 184 people for the series, including some of the biggest living luminaries of the sitcom world, from Ted Danson to Tina Fey. Ealer said they strategically began lining up interviews of the older luminaries first and fortunately did so right before the pandemic.”

Entire Eight Episode Description:

Disc 1 of 4

Episode 1: “A Family Matter” Air Date: 07/11/21: Moms, dads, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters — more than just a hilarious reflection of people to grow up and old with, sitcoms have opened the hearts of many to a more inclusive vision of what family can mean. Running Time 42 Minutes

Episode 2: “Sex & The Sitcom” Air Date: 07/11/21: Since America has long found it easier to laugh about sex than talk seriously about it, sitcom humor has had a critical role ushering in a new era of openness, not just towards sex, but toward women’s rights and gender identity. Running Time 42 Minutes

Disc 2 of 4

Episode 3: “Just Friends” Air Date: 07/18/21: When Americans look beyond family or work for their identity, the ‘hanging out with friends’ sitcom hilariously redefines the genre while also revealing television’s challenging quest for inclusivity and authentic representation. Running Time 42 Minutes

Episode 4: “Working for Laughs” Air Date: 07/25/21: Work families can be even funnier than our biological ones, since the endless array of wacky sitcom characters on the job offers hilarious insights into the state of the American workplace. Running Time 42 Minutes

Disc 3 of 4

Episode 5: “Facing Race” Air Date: 08/01/21: In many homes, difficult conversations about race and diversity have first happened on the sitcom screen, helping pave the way for progress with hilarity and laughter. Running Time 42 Minutes

Episode 6: “Movin’ On Up” Air Date: 08/08/21: Upward mobility, the American Dream, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps – sitcom laughs have helped generations of Americans come to grips with their place in a supposed ‘classless’ society. Running Time 42 Minutes

Disc 4 of 4

Episode 7: “Freaks, Geeks & Outsiders” Air Date: 08/15/21: Aliens, geeks, monsters, immigrants, witches… the fresh perspective of sitcom fish-out-of-water give us funny new insights into the ever-changing face of America. Running Time 42 Minutes

Episode 8: “Escaping Reality” Air Date: 08/22/21: Sitcoms have long been the ultimate comedy comfort food, but what sitcoms offer escape from – and what they offer escape to – reveal a lot about the state of the American mind, and the state of sitcom form itself. Running Time 42 Minutes

ALL COMMERCIAL PROFESSIONALLY EDITED OUT of the entire Documentary Series EPISODES 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 – Total Running Time is OVER 5 HOURS 30 Minutes

This eight episode television series includes exclusive interviews with a wide range of actors involved in various sitcoms throughout the history of television included in this cast are all of the following great actors from those shows along with various authors and critics totaling an incredible ONE HUNDRED and EIGHTY FOUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS specifically created for this documentary series.

Jason Alexander, Tracy Morgan, Emily St. James, Lorraine Ali, Judd Apatow, Tawny Newsome, Eric McCormack, Eve Plumb, Cedric the Entertainer, Jim Colucci, Jacqueline Coley, Aramida Tinubu, Dan Levy, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Valerie Bertinelli, Margaret Cho, Tim Reid, Anita Sarkeesian, LaToya Ferguson, Daniel Fienberg, Herbie J. Pilato, Caryn James, Sarah Rodman, Zooey Deschanel, John Lithgow, Ted Danson, Tina Fey, Jane Leeves, Sally Struthers, Loni Anderson, Danny Pudi, Jeff Garlin, Jaleel White, Drew Carey, Isabella Gomez, Jimmie ‘JJ’ Walker, Norman Lear, Patrick Gomez, Patrick Gomez, Laura Morowitz, Jim McKairnes, Alice Leppert, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, Constance Wu, Henry Winkler, Pamela Adlon, Alyson Hannigan, Jon Cryer, Peter Scolari, Tim Allen, Randall Park, Paul Reiser, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Michael Gross, Bob Saget, Linda Lavin, Kim Fields, Geri Jewell, Mitchell Hurwitz, Ernest Thomas, Mara Brock Akil, Bob Leszczak, Tom Werner, Warren Littlefield, Peter Casey, Bambi Haggins, Troy Patterson, Ethan Alter, Soraya McDonald, Malcolm Venable, Stephen L. Cox, Helen Hunt, Rainn Wilson, Rob McElhenney, Mel Brooks, Candice Bergen, Kelsey Grammer, Adrienne Barbeau, Lisa Kudrow, Barbara Eden, Bob Newhart, Gavin MacLeod, Meredith Baxter, Jane Kaczmarek, Judd Hirsch, Mark Linn-Baker, Michael Schur, Willie Aames, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Jasmine Guy, Vicki Lawrence, Marsha Warfield, Kim Coles, George Lopez, Barry Livingston, Jim J. Bullock, Christopher Knight, Billy Gray, Daphne Reid, Jake Kasdan, Elizabeth Meriwether, Steven Levitan, David Crane, Joel Zwick, Tony Thomas, Yvette Lee Bowser, Lloyd J. Schwartz, James Ackerman, Alan Sepinwall, Jay Moriarty, Marissa Guthrie, Daniel de Vise, Michael Schneider, Diana DePasquale, Gerrad Hall, Sarah Eskridge, Andy Greene, Beretta Smith Shomade, Annie Potts, Kaitlin Olson, Laurie Metcalf, Dick Van Dyke, Bill Lawrence, Melissa Joan Hart, Pam Dawber, Patricia Heaton, Jerry Mathers, Craig T. Nelson, Cybill Shepherd, Edward Asner, Bronson Pinchot, Dawn Wells, Patricia Richardson, Todd Bridges, Cindy Williams, Loretta Swit, Suzanne Somers, Marlo Thomas, Jamie Farr, Carl Reiner, Elinor Donahue, Tony Dow, Butch Patrick, Marion Ross, Chuck Lorre, Howard Hesseman, Hal Linden, Danny Bonaduce, Greg Daniels, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Brian Henson, Darren Star, Marta Kauffman, Joey Soloway, Mark Tinker, Marc Copage, Candy Spelling, Amy Fox, Al Jean, Bruce Helford, Diane English, Michael Schneider, Lucas Brown Eyes, Jerry Beck, Howard Fishman, Bill Carter and Tom Gilbert.