At the heart of a new featurette that delves into the making of History of the World: Part II is Mel Brooks, the renowned producer, and director. The legendary comedian and filmmaker is seen “Getting Into the Saddle Again” as he talks about the upcoming sequel to his 1981 comedy classic.
The featurette offers a behind-the-scenes look at the show’s production and Brooks’ return to the director’s chair after more than 30 years. It aims to present a fresh perspective on history through a series of comedic sketches. The concept is to portray the origins of certain things like marriages and funerals in unexpected ways, presenting an alternate history and giving viewers plenty to chuckle about.
In the featurette, producers Nick Kroll and Wanda Sykes discuss how Brooks’ legacy influenced the new series, and how they pitched the show to Brooks to ensure it lived up to its name.
The series features a wide range of sketches that poke fun at some of the biggest moments and people in history, including the end of the Civil War, the life of Jesus Christ, the story of Shirley Chisholm, and the Russian revolution.
The eight-episode season was released on Hulu on March 6 and features Brooks, Kroll, and Sykes in various sketches. Kroll plays characters such as Judas, Galileo, and Henry Kissinger, while Sykes takes on the roles of Harriet Tubman, Bessie Coleman, and Shirley Chisholm.
In addition to producing and starring in the series, Brooks also narrates the context of what is happening in each sketch. The show explores different periods of history, with stories taking place in different centuries.
The comedy legend says, “I just love getting into the saddle again, and ‘History of the World’ was a great opportunity to explore so many aspects of history that have happened since I did the first one. Enjoy it. Or don’t. I already got paid for this.”
Co-creator Ike Barinholtz credits Brooks with providing a template for the show. He said, “Mel Brooks gave us such a great template in the first movie,” adding that the show takes a broader approach to history, telling both short, funny plots as well as larger, more in-depth stories. Co-creator Nick Kroll also echoed this sentiment, saying, “We’re taking a look at history and kicking it in the pants.”
With a multitude of historical eras and locations to choose from, producing a television show about human history is a little trickier than it needs to be. However, the team behind History of the World: Part 2 luckily had some concepts in mind, according to Wanda Sykes.
Sykes shared that, “We knew the movie had such a great structure where you have some of the longer pieces where you invest a little more time, i.e. Rome and the French Revolution. So we knew we wanted to do that. I knew I wanted to do a Civil War thing, and Wanda wanted to tell a Shirley Chisholm story, and Nick wanted to tell a story about a Russian Jew living in the shtetl.”
In addition, the show has a stellar roster of guest stars, including Danny DeVito, Dove Cameron, Johnny Knoxville, Quinta Brunson, and plenty of others. While talking about the cast, Barinholtz commented: “One of the really fun parts of the show is calling folks we were fans of or friends with and asking them to come and be part of it”.
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The success of “History of the World: Part II” will likely determine whether or not there will be a third installment in the franchise, as the fate of the series depends on its success on Hulu. Nevertheless, the record-breaking viewership that the original movie has received since its debut, it’s safe to say that fans will be eagerly anticipating the release of the sequel.
Mel Brooks’ return to the director’s chair is generating a lot of buzz, with fans of the original movie, excited to see what the sequel has in store. The movie is set to explore a wide range of historical events, with a star-studded cast and plenty of celebrity cameos. As Brooks himself said, “It’s going to be wild, it’s going to be wacky, it’s going to be…something.”
With the entire first season available to stream on Hulu, fans of Mel Brooks and sketch comedy can enjoy the hilarious and irreverent take on history that the series offers. Here’s how you can watch season 2 on Hulu outside the US.
