What happens when comedians Ricky Gervais, Louis C.K., Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock sit down together to talk about comedy? We’ll find out next month when HBO airs the special Talking Funny, which features all four comedians discussing their craft.
Gervais, Louis C.K., Seinfeld and Rock aren’t all that similar as far as their comic styles go, but if they have one thing in common (besides great TV shows and successful careers), it’s that they’re all really funny. Some of that is likely attributed to natural talent, while the rest comes from years of experience trying to make people laugh. On April 22nd, HBO will air Talking Funny, a special directed by John Moffitt that features the for funny men sharing the secrets of their successful careers, funny stories and discussing the things they’ve learned over the course of their careers.
The quartet reveal the secrets of their success, share hysterical anecdotes and jokes and remind each other of the valuable lessons they’ve learned along the way (including how to shamelessly pilfer each other’s material). Each comic answers questions such as: “Who was the first funny kid you ever met?,” “When is it time to add new material to your act?” and “How do you know when you’ve hit on the proverbial ‘thing’ that sets you apart?,” giving quirky insights into what rocketed them to being the best in the business and at the top of their game.The comedians also examine their own distinctive styles of comedy and discuss whether or not to use profanity, how one comic can recycle another comic’s material into something new and fresh, and deciding whether a topic is off-limits, no matter how shocking it may be to the audience. When the dust settles and the spotlights are on, it all comes down to giving the audiences what they paid for – the laugh.
It sounds as though this special will cater to fans of all four comedians, as well as aspiring stand-up comedians looking for tips from some of the current masters of the industry. It’ll be very interesting to hear what each of them have to say and see how they interact with each other. I’m also hoping/expecting there’s as much reason to laugh during the special as there is to learn.
Talking Funny premiers FRIDAY, APRIL 22 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO.
