In 1981, EGOT winner Mel Brooks released one of his most well-remembered movies, The History of the Earth, Part I, an anthology comedy film that parodied some of human civilization’s biggest figures and accomplishments from the Stone Age up to the French Revolution, with the comedian’s signature bite and social commentary throughout. Though there was never an intention of making the star-studded comedy into a franchise of sorts, 42 years later, the property is returning in the form of History of the World, Part II, a Hulu original series.
Below we will break down when one of the most promising comedies on the 2023 TV schedule will premiere, who is going to be appearing throughout its duration, and what fans of the original film, as well as Mel Brooks’ body of work, can expect. Here are a few things we know about History of the World, Part II.
History Of The World Part II Premieres March 6th On Hulu
While it may be true that Blazing Saddles couldn’t be made today, the same can’t be said for History of the World, Part I, as the follow-up to Mel Brooks’ 1981 classic is right around the corner. Hulu has announced that the four-night comedy event will kick off Monday, March 6, 2023, welcoming fans, specifically those with a Hulu subscription, back for another round of historical comedy bits poking fun at some of the most powerful world leaders, religious figures, and everything else under the sun.
The History Of The World Part II Cast Includes Mel Brooks, Ike Barinholtz, Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes And More
History of the World, Part I featured a cast that included comedy legends like Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Carl Reiner, Sid Caesar, Cloris Leachman, and a few dozen other stars of the time in addition to Mel Brooks. Although many of the original stars have since passed on, the upcoming Hulu series is loaded with some of today’s brightest and funniest actors and comedians.
When the series was announced, it was revealed that the History of the World, Part II cast would be headlined by Ike Barinholtz, Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes, and a returning Mel Brooks, who will hopefully reprise some of those classic characters from the original. But those four aren’t the only members of the show’s cast, as Zazie Beetz, Danny DeVito, Taika Waititi, Tyler James Williams, Johnny Knoxville, David Duchovny, Sarah Silverman, Josh Gad, J.B. Smoove, Ken Marino, Reggie Watts, Jillian Bell, Sam Richardson, and multiple others will appear in varying capacities throughout the four-night event.
Like Its Predecessor, History Of The World Part II Will Parody Different Periods Of Human Civilization
When History of the World, Part II premieres this March on Hulu, the long overdue parody series will take viewers on a millennia-spanning journey showcasing the ups and downs of human civilization through a variety of sketches. However, it has yet to be confirmed if any of the clips featured in the fake trailer at the end of History of the World, Part I will be brought to life during the series.
The Trailer Offers A Look At The Absurdly Stacked Cast And Some Of The Stories That Will Be Explored
In January 2023, a little less than two months before the show’s debut, Hulu released the first trailer for History of the World, Part II, a nearly two-minute video showcasing just some of the stories that will be explored, and the actors and comedians who will be telling them. And starting it off is Mel Brooks, who just can’t stop himself from sneaking in a few jokes about himself and the series’ title.
And good thing History of the World, Part II is going to be streaming, because there’s a good chance we’ll all have to pause and rewind to catch the jokes we miss on account of laughing so hard. I mean, Seth Rogen as Noah, Ike Barinholtz’s Alexander Graham Bell being prank-called, and what looks like the return of “Jews in Space" (one of the sketches featured in the fake trailer that followed History of the World Part I) just seem too good to be true.
History Of The World Part II Will Consist Of Eight Episodes
Back when History of the World, Part II was first announced in October 2021, Deadline revealed that Hulu series would consist of eight episodes, though the length of each installment was not specified. If there are a total of chapters in the variety series, this means we’ll get to watch two episodes each night during the four-night event.
To get a better picture of how much material will be played throughout the upcoming comedy series, History of the World, Part I had a run-time of just over 90 minutes, compared to what could be four hours of historical parodies if each episode is 30 minutes in length.
Nick Kroll And Other Writers Found A Way To Continue Mel Brooks’ Goal Of ‘Poking Fun At Those In Power’
A lot has changed since Mel Brooks released movies like Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and History of the World, Part I, especially when it comes to what is and what isn’t acceptable in terms of language, but that doesn’t appear to be a problem for the writing staff on the new series. When speaking with the TCA in January 2023 (via IndieWire), Nick Kroll said that he and the other writers working on the show were still going after Brooks’ targets, stating:
Mel’s ultimate goal was always to poke fun at those in power, and how greedy and how stupid they were. So, doing a show about history now at a time when we are reexamining what the past was [and] how things went down, it became — for me — a very easy through line to continue Mel’s legacy at poking fun of those in power. And that really became our guiding light.
Adding onto those comments, Kroll explained that he and his fellow writers, producers, and co-stars worked to create an “open and honest” environment where they could figure out if something was being overly offensive. And while he thinks you can still do “insane things” in comedy, people just need to be more thoughtful about “how and why” those things are being said and done.
History of the World, Part II will kick off Monday, March 6th on Hulu. But if you want to check out some side-splitting humor, take a look at our list of the best 2022 comedy movies.
