MIKE ON TV: ‘History of the Sitcom’ Producers on Carl Reiner’s Last Interview, Tackling ‘The Cosby Show’ and What Makes a Comedy

The producers behind CNN’s new eight-part docuseries “History of the Sitcom” knew that trying to tell the complete 70-year history of the TV genre would be an impossible task. So they divided some of the biggest comedies of all time into specific categories — and set out to illustrate how the evolution of the sitcom mirrored real-life advancements in society.

“It was pretty apparent that given the number of sitcoms that have been out there in history that you couldn't do some sort of comprehensive, start-to-finish history, as though you were in a college course studying it from beginning to end,” says executive producer Bill Carter. “There had to be a way to categorize them and follow them according to some grouping. We have eight episodes; we could have done at least 80.”

“History of the Sitcom,” which airs on Sunday nights, is the follow-up to CNN’s recent “The Story of Late Night.” Both come from Cream Productions, through the CNN Original Series banner. But whereas “Story of Late Night” had an obvious chronological lineage to tell the story (Steve Allen to Jack Paar to Johnny Carson, and so on), Carter and showrunner/executive producer John Ealer say it took some time to figure out the best way to tell the “History of the Sitcom.”

“In some ways, you need a bigger story than just the sitcom in order to link them up together and that has to be the story of America,” Ealer says. “That was kind of our approach, whether it be the American family, how friendships in America have evolved, how work in America has evolved, how race and gender have evolved and how escapism has evolved. That's how we came up with these themes.”

(Thanks to Charles Pannunzio for the pic!) The producers conducted a total of 184 interviews for “History of the Sitcom,” including stars, producers, executives and journalists (including me, yes you've already seen me pop up a few times!). And they did it all in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among those interviewed: Norman Lear, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Alexander, Kelsey Grammer, Kim Fields, Tim Allen, Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke, George Lopez, Mel Brooks, Isabella Gomez, Ted Danson, Joey Soloway, Jimmie Walker, Judd Apatow, Dan Levy, Zooey Deschanel, Chuck Lorre, Mara Brock Akil, Helen Hunt and more.

Read more about it here and catch up via on demand! Just don't tell me if I sound like an idiot on the show. I think I already know the answer.

Roy Choi and Anthony Bourdain on Tackling L.A.'s Biggest Stereotypes

Earlier this fall, CNN held a luncheon at Roy Choi's Koreatown eatery POT to unveil the network's new interactive series Street Food with Roy Choi. On the show, Choi meets up with influencers and trendsetters on the streets of LA, including YouTube star Michelle Phan, filmmaker Jon Favreau (whose movie "Chef" included Choi as a consultant) and DJ Tokimonsta. Superstar chef Anthony Bourdain, who executive produces "Street Food" with Choi, also appears.

At the CNN event, I asked Bourdain and Choi to reflect on what they think are the biggest misconceptions and stereotypes that persist about L.A. Here's what they had to say:

Bourdain: That it's Hollywood. Roy said the single most informative thing anyone has ever said to me about LA, and it totally changed my perspective. I was wondering why LA doesn't have the fine dining scene that New York has, as many Michelin restaurants and French guides.

I asked, "Are you not paying chefs enough, what is it?" And he said, "Look, the culinary spine of New York is European. That's not true here at all. The whole cultural culinary spine of LA has always been Asian and Latino." It's also LA's greatest strength. What I want to do when I come out here is eat Mexican and Central American food. I go to K-town. I just want wallow in delicious Korean food as long as I can because we don't have it as strong [in New York].

One of the satisfying things of shooting a show here is we thought it might be a challenge to do a show in LA that never shows the Hollywood sign. We didn't want to show any white people at all. We wanted to shoot an entire episode and never leave Koreatown. I've barely scratched the surface. Jesus, can you imagine Jonathan Gold's Rolodex? How long it would take to go through all of those restaurants? That is endlessly fascinating to me.

Choi: I'm from here, and I have a little bit of a guard dog's watch on this city when people talk shit about it. I try to really make people feel our city. Sometimes it's not through words. A lot of times the residents of our city don't have the chance to fight back because English is not their first language. What I try to do as a bridge is represent the people of this city and the strength of our city. Through that I am able to find a flavor that once people taste it, it changes their lives.

That's how LA is. A lot of people find a new life for themselves in LA. We have a lot of New Yorkers on this show, looking at how they came here and never left. There are a lot of misconceptions about this city because it's so new and there's a lot of flashy things, that it's all paper thin. But we're not what you want us to be. Why people can't get us is they try to fit us into something that relates to something else. This is fresh out here.

Bourdain: But you are really shitty drivers out here. That part is true.

Choi: You're always fascinated by the left turns out here.

Bourdain: Merge, people, just merge. It's not that hard, just decide who's going first! I'm obsessed with the cliches though to. I'm obsessed with old Hollywood. Right now I have a mania for the Garden of Allah, this long gone hotel on Sunset. I have historical obsessions here that I'm looking to incorporate into my show somehow.

It was a great conversation... but the reason to visit POT is the food, of course! Here's a sampling of what we ate that day:

Kush Salad (Asian greens, radish, fruit, pine nut mustard dressing); Kat Man Doo (steamed dumplings); Potato Pancakes; BBQ Veggies; BBQ Spicy Pork; Kimchi Fried Rice; Old School Hot Pot (marinated rib eye bulgogi, noodles, kimchi, scallion, sesame); Cabbage Hot Pot (soy bean paste, veggies, tofu, squash, potatoes)

More pics:

KCRW's THE SPIN-OFF: December Edition (Cosby, Sony and More! Listen Now)

Buzzfeed's Kate Aurthur joins me and Joe Adalian for this month's edition of the monthly KCRW podcast "The Spin-Off." It's a lively talk. Kate was at the forefront of covering the Bill Cosby scandal, so we spend a great deal of time taking stock of what happened, and what's next. Here's a synopsis of this month's show:

The downfall of Bill Cosby following multiple allegations of sexual assault has been one of the biggest news stories of the year, and not just in television. This is an ongoing story, but we take stock of where we are now and what it means for how we view an icon who had been one of the most beloved comedians in television history.

Then, we reflect on the current state of TV news. There have been a lot of changes and anchor shake-ups this year, but how many people have been paying attention? And what's the role of TV news in an increasingly mobile and digitized news environment?

Finally, as 2014 comes to a close and we get all nostalgic thinking back on shows of this past year and years gone by, we look at the way television today tackles social issues. It may seem like network TV is more hands-off when it comes to taking a stand on hot-button issues, but perhaps the overall TV landscape is just approaching these issues in a different way.

Listen by clicking below!

KCRW's THE SPIN-OFF: April Edition (Listen Now!)

It's that time of the month -- a new edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off TV podcast is now up! This month Joe Adalian and I are joined by Grantland's Emily Yoshida to talk about the latest hot TV topics. Here's a rundown:

Who is the real Stephen Colbert, and will CBS be able to get the best out of him for their late night landscape?

What's up, CNN? Plus, is the revamp of HLN, formerly "Headline News," a cynical bid to reach young viewers?

The unholy alliance between Twitter and TV. Does the social network help shows? Get tweeters jobs in the industry or is it all a big bubble?

Here's the episode, listen below, or go here to download it yourself!

CNN on Rodney King, 20 Years Later

It's now been 20 years since the Rodney King beating, which took place on March 3, 1991. That event, which occurred after a high-speed chase, changed the direction of Los Angeles and the LAPD (leading, of course, to the 1992 civil unrest). CNN will mark the anniversary with a special, "Race and Rage: The Beating of Rodney King," which debuts Friday, March 4 at 8 p.m. Don Lemon is the anchor. More details:

King was tasered, kicked, and beaten by officers on the scene. He received more than 50 baton blows that crushed bones, shattered teeth, injured his kidneys, and fractured his skull.

Lemon asked him what thoughts he had during the beating, “Stay alive – I knew I had to survive this,” King tells him in an exclusive interview.

The altercation awakened George Holliday who grabbed his home video camera and filmed the incident. The video became a national sensation and the cornerstone of an excessive force trial against the Los Angeles Police Department.

King became a visual symbol of police brutality, but the officers were acquitted in the original trial. News of the acquittal ignited anger that erupted into riots in Los Angeles that lasted for days. Over 50 people were killed, businesses were looted and burned, and even cities as far away as Atlanta reported violence inspired by the news of the verdict.

Lemon and King revisit the scene of the beating together, retracing the events that altered his life, and the riots that followed. Lemon also speaks with Bobby Green, who famously rescued white truck driver Reginald Denny, who was assailed by a mob at a city intersection during the riots.

A preview of the special is above.

You Say "Octumom," I Say "Octomom," Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

CNN's Headline News (HLN) network decides to swim against the tide and refer to Nadya Suleman as the "Octumom" -- with a "u." But HLN appears to be in the minority: A quick check with Google shows just 34,900 mentions on the web for "octumom," compared to 1.5 million for the term "octomom."

MIKE ON TV: One Last Emmy Mention

This CNN interview was actually done a few days before the Emmys, so no mention here of how badly the reality TV hosts flopped while emceeing this year's ceremony. But a number of you have mentioned that you caught me on CNN the other day... so here it is. Marvel as I sprint past the big Variety sign!