History has always been a pretty big cable player when it comes to original programming. The network has tons and tons of history-oriented series and specials, including reality shows. In recent years, the network has even delved into scripted dramas with Vikings and the upcoming Knightfall and Six on the way. Now, the cabler says it is getting its own brand new late night comedy block, but it’s coming with a bit of a twist. New shows Great Minds with Dan Harmon, Crossroads of History and How To Lose The Presidency. Each of these new series will have a historical component of sorts.
Obviously, the highest profile of these is Great Minds with Dan Harmon, an upcoming show that will not only boast the Community creator but also a whole slew of other celebrities. Richard Korson co-stars, and Sarah Silverman, Jack Black, Aubrey Plaza, Dana Carvey, Silicon Valley’s Thomas Middleditch, Andy Dick, Nick Kroll, and many, many more are expected to appear on the upcoming show. Dan Harmon, Richard Korson and Jay Peterson will all executive produce. The general premise is pretty wild, and you can read more about the series, straight from the horse’s mouth, here:
The series follows Harmon who invests in a time machine and is subsequently visited by history’s greatest minds. Harmon discusses his visitors’ lives and brings them out into the modern world, embarking on an adventure that drops these famous historical figures right into today’s advanced society.
Crossroads of History is being created and written by Elizabeth Shapiro and will also feature a ton of different actors, including Lou Diamond Phillips, Angela Kinsey, Jack McBrayer, Paul Scheer and several others. Mark Koops, Eric Day, Anthony Samadani Bonnie Pan, Rhoades Rader, George Woolley, Tim Healy and Paul Cabana will all executive produce. This one doesn’t sound nearly as comedic, but History’s declaring it comedy, so it must be, right? Here’s the premise:
The series examines the fascinating and largely unknown moments in history that have shaped the world. Crossroads of History will lift the veil on famous events and expose little known but historically accurate facts of the story, such as: how President Lincoln’s alcoholic bodyguard, John Parker, chose the wrong night to leave his post at the Ford Theatre and how rejection from art school set a young artist, Adolf Hitler, on a very different career path.
The third series, How To Lose The Presidency, is less celebrity-oriented, but this one should be pretty funny, highlighting embarrassing moments with various politicians. Kevin Fitzpatrick, John Verhoff, Stephen Dost and Jonathan Santo all will executive produce. Here’s the premise:
How to Lose the Presidency showcases real clips of embarrassing moments and mistakes from Howard Dean’s scream heard round the world and Rick Perry’s time of forgetfulness to outrageous moments in the current presidential campaign.
History is rolling with the name “Night Class” for the comedy block, which will air during late night on the network. Luckily, if any of this sounds like fun to watch, you can catch the new episodes very soon. The “Night Class” block will hit the schedule on Thursday, February 25 at 11:30 p.m. ET, only on History. To see what else the networks have coming up, check out our midseason TV premiere schedule.
