KCRW's The Spin-Off: "The Carmichael Show's" Jerrod Carmichael Breaks New Ground

On the latest edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, Joe and I talk to "The Carmichael Show's" Jerrod Carmichael about his groundbreaking show:

For a minute there, the world didn't know if The Carmichael Show would live to see another season. Jerrod Carmichael, the creator and star of the show, tells us what was behind the delay of the announcement of Season 3, and why he wasn't happy with NBC's initial offer of 10 episodes. The show will indeed come back, and while we don't know the date yet, there will be 13 episodes, which is the number Carmichael was hoping for.

Carmichael takes us through the rigorous schedule of shooting live -- each episode gets performed twice in front an audience, and shares why he elected to go the old school route of having a comedy on a broadcast network instead of going to Amazon or Netflix.

The Carmichael Show has grabbed attention for its fearlessness in addressing tricky topics -- everything from depression to pornography addiction to current issues from the headlines like Bill Cosby and Donald Trump. Carmichael tells us why he wants to go there, and how a multi-cam sitcom can sometimes be the perfect medium for breaking down a complicated issue.

Listen below!

Retro Special: President's Day Edition

Several TV sitcoms have been set inside the White House through the years -- with little success. Actually, some of the shows have been notoriously bad -- while one, "The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer," was deeemed downright offensive by some.

Here are a few of the most memorable from the past few decades. Above, George C. Scott starred as "Mr. President" for Fox -- one of the then-fledgling network's first shows, in 1987.



The thought of a female Commander in Chief was so ridiculous in 1985, it was played for laughs in ABC's "Hail to the Chief," starring Patty Duke.



And yes, of course, the notorious UPN entry, 1998's "The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer" -- starring Chi McBride as the black English butler to President Abraham Lincoln.