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The Comedy Channel (United States)
Encyclopedia
The Comedy Channel was an all-comedy cable television network owned by Home Box Office
, a division of Time Warner
. It premiered on November 15, 1989 at 6 p.m. ET, and merged with Viacom
's HA! to become CTV: The Comedy Network (later renamed Comedy Central
) on April 1, 1991. Most of the programs were produced in the HBO Downtown Studios on East 23rd Street in Manhattan
.
and Mystery Science Theater 3000
, as well as laid-back variety/talk shows hosted by stand-up comedians, including The Sweet Life
with Rachel Sweet
, Tommy Sledge, Private Eye, Night After Night with Allan Havey
, Sports Monster
and The Higgins Boys and Gruber
, the latter of whom performed sketches in between showings of vintage television serials like Supercar
, Clutch Cargo
, and Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp
.
and Kentucky Fried Movie, presented in a style similar to music videos. In the early days, certain hours of the day when clips were shown without "host segments" were dubbed Short Attention Span Theater
. In 1990, hosts under this title, Jon Stewart
and Patty Rosborough, were introduced. Comedian Marc Maron
also hosted the series.
In the final months before the merger, the channel developed an eight-hour programming block that was shown three times during a 24-hour period, including such things as reruns of Monty Python's Flying Circus
.
, the name of the network was subsequently changed to Comedy Central
on June 1, 1991.
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
, a division of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
. It premiered on November 15, 1989 at 6 p.m. ET, and merged with Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
's HA! to become CTV: The Comedy Network (later renamed Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
) on April 1, 1991. Most of the programs were produced in the HBO Downtown Studios on East 23rd Street in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
Programming
The format prior to the merger included several original and unconventional programs such as Onion World with Rich HallRich Hall
Richard "Rich" Hall is an American comedian, writer and musician.-Early life and career:Hall was born in Alexandria, Virginia and grew up in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He is part Cherokee Indian...
and Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
, as well as laid-back variety/talk shows hosted by stand-up comedians, including The Sweet Life
The Sweet Life
The Sweet Life may refer to:*La dolce vita, a 1960 film directed by Federico Fellini*The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, an American children's television series that airs on the Disney Channel*The Sweet Life...
with Rachel Sweet
Rachel Sweet
Rachel Sweet is an American singer, television writer and actress.-Biography:After beginning her singing career at the age of three, when she won an electric garage door opener in a singing contest, she began recording commercials at the age of six, toured with Mickey Rooney, and performed in Las...
, Tommy Sledge, Private Eye, Night After Night with Allan Havey
Night After Night with Allan Havey
Night after Night with Allan Havey was an unorthodox late night talk show which aired on The Comedy Channel from 1989 to 1992. The show featured the stream of consciousness of host Allan Havey, and other departures from the standard late-night talk show format...
, Sports Monster
Sports Monster
Sports Monster was a television program that aired on Comedy Central in 1990 and 1991. The program was a spoof version of a cable sports show, based on shows such as ESPN's Sportscenter. The show starred Nick Bakay, Joe Bolster, and Jon Hayman as the program's announcers...
and The Higgins Boys and Gruber
The Higgins Boys and Gruber
The Higgins Boys and Gruber was an American cable television show that aired on weekday afternoons on The Comedy Channel, the precursor to the cable network Comedy Central, from 1989 to 1991. It was one of the first television shows to air on the channel...
, the latter of whom performed sketches in between showings of vintage television serials like Supercar
Supercar (TV series)
Supercar was a children's TV show produced by Gerry Anderson and Arthur Provis's AP Films for ATV and ITC Entertainment. 39 episodes were produced between 1961 and 1962, and it was Anderson's first half-hour series. In the UK it was seen on ITV and in the US in syndication...
, Clutch Cargo
Clutch Cargo
Clutch Cargo is an animated television series produced by Cambria Productions and syndicated beginning on March 9, 1959. Notable for its very limited animation, yet imaginative stories, the series was a surprise hit at the time, and could be seen on 65 stations nationwide in 1960.- Plot :The...
, and Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp
Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp
Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp is an American action/adventure comedy series that originally aired on ABC from September 12, 1970, to September 2, 1972...
.
Standard format
The standard format for these shows usually involved the various hosts introducing clips culled from the acts of stand-up comedians as well as classic comedies of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Young FrankensteinYoung Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard...
and Kentucky Fried Movie, presented in a style similar to music videos. In the early days, certain hours of the day when clips were shown without "host segments" were dubbed Short Attention Span Theater
Short Attention Span Theater
Short Attention Span Theater, which ran on Comedy Central from 1989–1994, was a pastiche of various comedians and clips from movies airing on HBO and Cinemax that month along with entertainment news and commentary from the show's host. Various celebrity guests also appeared on occasion....
. In 1990, hosts under this title, Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
and Patty Rosborough, were introduced. Comedian Marc Maron
Marc Maron
Marc Maron is an American stand-up comedian and podcast host.He has been host of The Marc Maron Show, and co-host of both Morning Sedition, and Breakroom Live, all politically-oriented shows, produced under the auspices of Air America Media. He was also the host of Comedy Central's Short Attention...
also hosted the series.
In the final months before the merger, the channel developed an eight-hour programming block that was shown three times during a 24-hour period, including such things as reruns of Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
.
Ha! and Comedy Channel merge to create Comedy Central
In 1990, The Comedy Channel and Ha! agreed to merge their operations and create a new channel called CTV: The Comedy Network, which made its debut on April 1, 1991; prior to the merger, both channels each had fewer than 10 million subscribers, The Comedy Channel in particular not only suffered both commercially but also critically with negative reviews by critics of its hodgepodge of clips of comedy films and stand-up comedy acts interspersed within its programming. In order to avoid confusion and trademark issues with Canadian over-the-air broadcast network CTVCTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
, the name of the network was subsequently changed to Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
on June 1, 1991.