INSIDE COMEDY

A Showtime Original Series

Premiere Date: Thursday, January 26th At 11:00 PM ET/PT

 

 

SERIES OVERVIEW

 

From executive producers David Steinberg, Steve Carell, Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock comes INSIDE COMEDY, a new comedy documentary series featuring one-on-one, uncensored interviews with some of the world’s biggest comedians.  Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres and Jerry Seinfeld, to comedians of the past five decades such as Mel Brooks, Don Rickles and Jonathan Winters, to name just a few, share career-defining moments, personal struggles and the idols who inspired them.

 

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David Steinberg talks about Inside Comedy

 

All of these interviews were completely improvised without anyone knowing what they were going to talk about. And I didn't prepare any questions in advance. (Scary!)

 

Don Rickles, Jerry Seinfeld

I interviewed Don Rickles in a little restaurant on the Wilshire Corridor in Los Angeles.  For half of the interview he attacked me. The other half shows a side that you don't normally see. I met with Jerry Seinfeld four months later in the Hamptons and he opened by saying, “Plan here but I want to talk about Rickles, who Chris Rock and I saw last night.” He rhapsodizes about Rickles in a way that only one comedian can for another. He had no idea that I had interviewed Rickles.

 

Chris Rock

Chris Rock had done six interviews for his movie Good Hair the day I interviewed him for our show. Weary as he must have been, the combination of brutal honesty and intelligence, as he looks back at his career from Saturday Night Live to stand-up to how he prepares for his Madison Square Garden shows was remarkable.

 

Steve Carell, Jane Lynch

Steve Carell and Jane Lynch knew each other at Second City. And Steve's wife Nancy suggested Jane for The Forty-Year-Old-Virgin. They are both a little on the shy side, which is why they're outrageous in everything they do comedically.

 

Billy Crystal, Brad Garrett, Martin Short

Any one of these guys deserves a half-hour by themselves, at the very least. But when we looked at Billy Crystal opening for Sammy Davis Jr. and Brad Garrett opening for Frank Sinatra and Martin Short talking about and doing Jerry Lewis, we had a theme we couldn't avoid for this hilariously outrageous show.

 

Larry David

Vintage Larry David. Brilliant.

 

Garry Shandling, Sarah Silverman

Garry pushing the envelope…talking about his mother, dating, living and dying. Sarah doing the same, except talking about her father. How many times can I say funny and brilliant?

 

Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner

Almost everybody's favorite show. They watch movies together at Carl's house every Wednesday night and talk about it. For comedy mavens...heaven.

 

Tim Conway, Ellen DeGeneress

Tim has never said a serious thing in his entire life. And that goes for this interview. He talks about Don Knotts and Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman. Ellen revisits her stand-up roots and what it meant to break through being gay on television.

 

Kathy Griffin, Steven Wright

They have nothing in common at all. Except for being two of the funniest humans I know.

 

Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters

Jonathan is Robin's mentor and influence. As the show goes back and forth between them, their similarities become obvious. Both unique and amazing improvisors.

 

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Brief Q&A with Steve Carell

 

  • This show celebrates and honors comedy.  Why is it important to document its evolution? 

 

Why is something funny? How subjective is it? Have comedic tastes changed over the years? What have present day purveyors of comedy taken from their comedic ancestors? Evaluating the history of humor sheds a light on how our society has changed, remained the same, and been influenced by some special talents.

 

  • How did you get your comedic start?

 

After college, I moved to Chicago to pursue stage work. After stints with various theater companies, I landed at Second City, performing with Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris, among others.  Second City led to The Dana Carvey show, various short lived sitcoms, The Daily Show, and eventually The Office.

 

BIOS

DAVID STEINBERG

(Host, Executive Producer, Director)

David Steinberg and Steve Carrel are Executive Producers of “INSIDE COMEDY" a  comedy documentary series premiering  on January 26th, 2012 on Showtime. It chronicles the evolution of comedy over the past 60 years. Guests he interviews include Robin Williams, Larry David, Martin Short, Sarah Silverman, Jerry Seinfeld, Jane Lynch, Billy Crystal, Kathy Griffin, Chris Rock, Garry Shandling, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Don Rickles, Ellen DeGeneres, Tim Conway and others.

Recently The New York Times has called David Steinberg “a comic institution himself”.

Currently he has directed his 8th season on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". A legendary comedian from the 60’s on, David is now regarded as one of the best and most creative directors working in television today. After his first appearance on the Tonight Show he became one of Johnny Carson’s favorite guests and hosts, with 140 appearances-second only to Bob Hope. He began his comedy career with Second City and influenced the careers of John Belushi, Bill Murray, John Candy and others who followed him there. Steinberg capped a prolific career as a stand up comedian with four comedy albums and two Grammy nominations. Famous for being funny on both sides of the camera, he has directed many shows, including “Friends”, “Newhart”, “Seinfeld”, “Mad About You”, “Weeds” and most recently Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” for HBO.  His work on “Seinfeld” and “Mad About You” and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" earned him several DGA and Emmy awards and nominations.

Simon and Schuster recently released “The Book of David”, a biblical satire and autobiography. 

Twitter:  @david_steinberg

Thedavidsteinberg.com

STEVE CARELL

(Executive Producer)

Steve Carell has emerged as one of the most sought-after comedic actors in Hollywood.  First gaining recognition for his contributions as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s Emmy Award-winning The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Carell has successfully segued into primetime television and above-the-title status in the film world with equal aplomb.

 

Carell opened his first lead feature, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which he co-wrote with director Judd Apatow, at #1, a spot it remained in for two straight weekends.  The surprise hit of 2005 went on to gross more than $175 million worldwide and had #1 openings in 12 countries.  The success of the film has continued, as it has also generated over $100 million in DVD sales in North America alone.  On an award level, the film was honored with an AFI Award named one of 10 Most Outstanding Motion Pictures of the Year and took home Best Comedy Movie at the 11th annual Critics’ Choice Awards.  The film also earned Carell and Apatow a co-nomination for Best Original Screenplay by the Writers Guild Association.

 

Carell was most recently seen in Crazy, Stupid, Love opposite Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone. The critically acclaimed film has gone on to earn $130 million worldwide.

 

Carell also starred as “Maxwell Smart” in Get Smart, opposite Anne Hathaway and Alan Arkin. The film grossed over $230 million worldwide since its opening in June. He also lent his voice as The Mayor of Whoville in 20th Century-Fox’s animated film Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! based on the children’s book written by Dr. Seuss. Directed by Jimmy Hayward (Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc.), Carell played opposite of Jim Carrey, and helped launch the film as an international success earning over $295 million worldwide. In 2006, as part of an ensemble, he starred in Little Miss Sunshine, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and won the SAG Award® for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. 

 

Previous film credits include Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Bruce Almighty, Bewitched and Dan in Real Life. Carell just completed his Emmy-nominated turn in the Americanized adaptation of Ricky Gervais’ acclaimed British television series The Office.  In 2006, Carell earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series—Musical or Comedy, followed by two more nominations, for his portrayal of “Michael Scott”, the pompous and deluded boss of a Pennsylvania paper company.  In the past years, the show has won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

 

Carell recently announced the start of his new production company, Carousel Productions. Carell’s endeavors and successes in acting, writing and producing were an organic segue in the creation of Carousel Productions.

 

Carell just wrapped Seeking a Friend for the End of the World  which also stars Keira Knightly and is due out in theatres in 2012. He is currently filming comedic drama Great Hope Springs opposite Meryl Streep.

 

Born in Massachusetts, Carell now resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Nancy Walls (NBC’s Saturday Night Live), whom he met while at the Second City Theater Group in Chicago, where both were members.  He is the proud father of a daughter and a son.

VANCE DEGENERES

(Executive Producer)

Vance DeGeneres was born and raised in New Orleans, eventually migrating west to Los Angeles.  His first writing job was on NBC’s Eerie Indiana.  DeGeneres went on to produce or write for numerous TV shows, including the Emmys, Grammys, and Academy Awards.  He’s best known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where he met and worked with a young, up and coming kid named Steve Carell.  DeGeneres co-runs Carell’s Warner Brothers-based Carousel Productions.  He was an executive producer on last summer’s feature film Crazy, Stupid, Love, and is an executive producer on the New Line production “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone,” currently filming.

CHARLIE HARTSOCK

(Executive Producer)

Charlie Hartsock is the Vice President of Production at Carousel Production.

 

He began his career in entertainment in Chicago where he worked as an actor, writer and director with the famed “The Second City” comedy troupe in the early 1990s.  He continued his acting career in Los Angeles as an actor in TV, films and commercials, with recurring roles on such show as Arrested Development and According to Jim.

 

His recent credits, along with INSIDE COMEDY, include his work as executive producer of the 2011 Warner Brothers film Crazy, Stupid, Love, and the currently filming, New Line Cinema production, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

 

Hartsock is originally from Chagrin Falls, Ohio and is a graduate of Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

 

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INSIDE COMEDY PRODUCTION CREDITS

 

DIRECTED BY

David Steinberg

 

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Steve Carell

David Steinberg

Vance DeGeneres

Charlie Hartsock

 

CONSULTING PRODUCER

Alan Zweibel

 

PRODUCERS

Josh Etting

Robyn Todd

 

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Igor Chernomzav

Cal Fishkin

Bryan Lord

 

TALENT PRODUCER

Dori Stegman

 

PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

Anthony Hartman

 

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Christopher Windsor Johnson