The Stories of Some of Our Favorite Comedians

Season four of PBS's Pioneers of Television begins April 15th with "Standup to Sitcom," an episode that discussed the transition from standup comic to sitcom favorite.  It will include interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Roseanne Barr, Tim Allen, Ray Romano, and Bob Newhart.  

Here is a quick summary from PBS:

In the later half of the 20th century, a generation of standup comics laughed their way into millions of American living rooms. From early appearances on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show to Emmy-award winning onscreen performances, these comedians used humor and determination to redefine the television sitcom.
 
It takes more than a network contract to bring a comic’s stage act to life on the small screen. The life of a standup comic revolves around a nightly set, a rehearsed routine of jokes told to an unpredictable audience within a network of venues. Each stop on the tour provides a new experience for the comic, new possibilities to interact with a fresh audience, scope out a different comedy scene and hone their craft. Though getting laughs remains the ultimate goal, developing and starring in a hit television sitcom is worlds away from a career as a standup comedian.

Legendary performers like Bob Newhart, Jerry Seinfeld and Roseanne Barr took a risk by adapting their well-honed standup personas for mainstream television audiences. As their careers took off, they left the comedy club for the studio lot, learning to transform 20 minute sets into half hour scripts, share the floor with a cast of supporting characters and perform take after take in front of a crew of opinionated writers, producers and directors. Through hard work and endless creativity, these funny folks lead their sitcom families to the forefront of television entertainment and forever impacted the sitcom genre.

Of course, one of my favorite transitional comics not mentioned above is Louis C.K.  The fourth season of his television show Louie returns to FX on May 5th.  In the meantime, I will watch the PBS program and learn a little more about the other great comics of our era.