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Comedy Store documentary series to debut on Showtime

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Showtime is zooming in on the Comedy Store.

Showtime Documentary Films announced Monday that a four-part documentary series chronicling the history of the iconic Los Angeles comedy club will premiere in 2020.

This series will feature never-before-seen archival footage, as well as interviews with some of the stars who got their start on its stage. Over the last 47 years, the Sunset Boulevard mainstay has seen the early days of such comedians as David Letterman, Jay Leno, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Sarah Silverman, Chris Rock, Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Marc Maron, Whitney Cummings, Iliza Shlesinger, David Spade, Bob Saget, Howie Mandel and Chris D’Elia.

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The project is directed and executive produced by Mike Binder, a former stand-up comic and Comedy Store alum who went on to make films such as “Black or White” and “The Upside of Anger” and has worked on the Showtime series “Billions” and “Ray Donovan.”

“The Comedy Store is a magical place — it’s Juilliard for stand-up comics, the Bolshoi Ballet of comedy,” Binder said in a statement. “It’s an honor for me to be able to return home to my roots, and I am so grateful to be able to tell this remarkable story.”

Mike Tollin, who earned Oscar and Emmy nominations for the documentary “Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream” and was one of the original producers of ESPN’s acclaimed “30 for 30” documentary series, is an executive producer of the series, alongside Jon Weinbach, Peter Shore and Paul Young. Adam Eget, creative director of the Comedy Store, will also produce, as will Jonathan Vogler for Mandalay Sports Media.

ashley.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @cashleelee

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