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CNN’s new docuseries, ‘The History of Comedy’ from Sean Hayes, arrives right on time

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This is either no time for comedy or a most opportune moment for it.

With politics dominating the culture, one of the networks that has a lot to do with that domination, CNN, is taking a break from the talk of court challenges and executive orders to air “The History of Comedy,” an eight-part docuseries examining the development of the American laugh industry.

Featuring a wide array of classic clips and new interviews (from Larry David to Sarah Silverman), “Comedy” is the fruit of a collaboration between once and future “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes and his producing partner and old college friend, Todd Milliner. (The duo’s company, Hazy Mills, is behind shows as varied as “Hot in Cleveland” and “Grimm.”)

On Thursday night, CNN airs the series’ first episode, focusing on comedians like George Carlin and Richard Pryor, who broke ground by going blue. Future episodes take up other themes, among them the connection between comedy and madness (Lenny Bruce et al.), female comedians and the relationship between politics and comedy.

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The Times caught up with Hayes and Milliner to talk about why they took on the subject, the state of comedy and why so many comedians seem to lose their mind.

It’s amazing that, for all the documentaries and books about individual comedians or brands of comedy, there hasn’t really been a full-scale retrospective like this.

Milliner: When we pitched it, we looked around like “Are we getting away with something?” We couldn’t believe it ourselves. There are tons of books and one-off [movies]. We were thinking, “What about something that looks not just at comedy but how it’s influenced us in society, and then how society influences comedy.”

Hayes: We tried to balance it as much as possible — we want to enjoy and laugh throughout this docuseries. “Documentary” has such a serious connotation. I listened to George Carlin when I was a kid and knew every word of his routines. I had all the Bill Cosby albums. “To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With” — I knew every word. Even listening to them now, I was laughing my [butt] off, and it wasn’t because of nostalgia but because they’re genuinely funny. This isn’t meant to dissect or deconstruct; it’s not meant to explore intricacies. It’s meant to be funny and show all the ways comedy has been funny.

Milliner: And look back and say “Thank God it’s endured. Because how many times has it gotten us — gotten me — through?” Look at David Letterman after 9/11. So much of it is homage to the people who are still with us and the people that got us here. We don’t always pay attention to them.

There are a lot of people who say comedy’s plateaued, that the golden age is behind us. Watching the legends from earlier decades who pop up here, it’s hard not to feel like there’s some validity to the criticism.

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Hayes: Nothing in the world matters if it’s not good. And if it’s great, people will see it. There are people like Amy Schumer now, so many other voices you haven’t heard before. Our series presents the people who paved the way for them

Milliner: I think we’re at a peak, a comedy peak. Or at least on our way up.

Hayes: Our way up in what aspect?

Milliner: Just standup specials, new platforms, everything. Maybe broadcast sitcoms are struggling a little more, but there are so many other places for [comedy]. And even when you think the broadcast sitcom is dead, along comes “Big Bang Theory.” And there’s Ali Wong and Kamau Bell and Amy Schumer. It ebbs and flows.

Hayes: This isn’t a dig on journalists, but people like to write about the “death of blank.” The death of something.

Milliner: I don’t think comedy ever dies. It’s as American apple pie and moonshine.

One undercurrent in the series is how many comedians have been tormented by demons. Is this an occupational hazard, a prerequisite, or just some really sad coincidence?

Hayes: I don’t think comedy necessarily comes from a dark place. But I do think what a lot of us have in common is that, growing up, being funny was a coping mechanism. I grew up with an alcoholic father who left early, and that was one of the tools to cope with all of that. And then that thing that is your coping mechanism you now depend on for happiness, you depend on it to pay your bills, and I think that’s where things get really complicated.

Milliner: I think people who had to laugh very early in life to get by became very good at it. That “Spark of Madness” episode became, if not my favorite, pretty close. I don’t think we have the science to prove it one way or the other. There are a couple examples of folks who left us way too early. But I wonder if they would have left us even earlier if they didn’t have stand-up comedy.

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You mentioned Cosby. As comedians, what do you think of him? How do you process what he meant to the history of comedy on the one hand but all the allegations of the last several years on the other?

Hayes: It’s always shocking to hear news like that about such a public figure…

Milliner: He was one of our comedy heroes growing up. That show on NBC in the 1980s, that was everything. We did struggle with how much do you cover Cosby in this seres. You can’t ignore him.

Milliner: We had to pay him homage. I can’t say we didn’t feel a little dirty. I think we did find a balance. I think we could do more if we had more episodes.

So everyone talks about art in the time of crisis, art as protest. Where does comedy fit in? More specifically, where does this series fit in? It’s airing on CNN — is it, in a sense, in dialogue with everything else on the network?

Milliner: The first thing is, I don’t think we wanted to chase that stuff. “SNL” does such a good job. We could never compete. But I do think we believe in the idea of comedy as a kind of diversion. If there’s one thing we really learned doing this series, it’s how comedy has gotten us through, as a society. Every meeting we’ve been in has started with complaining about the state of the country and ending with complaining about the state of the country. There’s this lethargy everywhere. And thus room for more diversion.

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Hayes: I don’t think we do anything with an agenda behind it. But if we could be funny, or silly and stupid, and that’s what conscience drives us to do, we are conscious of that.

Milliner: Comedy and this country are a little like watching “Behind the Music.” It’s “Leif Garrett ran his car off the highway. But he still had tons of hits.” We want to remind people of the hits.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »

steve.zeitchik@latimes.com

Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT

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