Politically Incorrect

Last updated
Politically Incorrect
Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher title card.jpg
Title card used during the ABC Run
Genre Talk show
Written byScott Carter
Bill Maher
Starring Bill Maher
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
Production
Running time30 minutes
Production companies HBO Downtown Productions
Comedy Central Productions (1993–1997)
Brillstein-Grey Entertainment (1997–1999)
Brad Grey Television (1999–2002)
Original release
Network Comedy Central (1993–1997)
ABC (1997–2002)
ReleaseJuly 25, 1993 (1993-07-25) –
July 5, 2002 (2002-07-05)
Related
Real Time with Bill Maher

Politically Incorrect (stylized as POLITICALLY INCOrrECT) was an American late-night, half-hour political talk show hosted by Bill Maher that aired from July 25, 1993, to July 5, 2002. It premiered on Comedy Central in July 1993 and aired for three seasons until November 5, 1996; amid its success on Comedy Central, ABC expressed interest in bringing the show to the network to shore up its late-night lineup, moving there on January 5, 1997.

Contents

On September 17, 2001, Maher criticized United States foreign policy on the show and argued that the perpetrators of the September 11 terrorist attacks, "although terrible people," were not cowards. "What was cowardly," he argued, "was America's relationship with the rest of the world." The comments were widely condemned, [1] and while Maher later apologized and clarified the meaning behind his comments, major advertisers stopped advertising with the show. As a result, the show was canceled in 2002. [2]

The show first originated from New York City, but soon moved to Los Angeles. The New York episodes were shot at the CBS Broadcast Center and the Los Angeles episodes at CBS Television City, where it remained even after its move to ABC.

The first episode featured comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Howard Stern co-host Robin Quivers, Republican Party strategist Ed Rollins, and comedian Larry Miller. Frequent guests included Dave Matthews, Arianna Huffington, Michael McKean, Ann Coulter, Carrot Top, and Christine O'Donnell. [3]

Format

Bill Maher in 2007 Bill Maher by David Shankbone.jpg
Bill Maher in 2007

The show began with a brief topical monologue from Maher. Then Maher introduces the guests individually, promoting their current projects. Four guests appear, usually a mix of individuals from show business, popular culture, pundits, political consultants, and occasionally regular people in the news, discussing topics in the news selected by Maher. Maher described the program as " The McLaughlin Group on acid." [4]

On rare occasions, Maher would interview a single guest. The show was pioneering in mixing political figures and entertainers. Maher tried to air all points of view, especially controversial ones. Guests could be both aggravating and insightful, with the conversation similar to a cocktail party with quick-witted guests. [4]

Writers

The show's writers included Al Franken, Arianna Huffington, Kevin Bleyer, Scott Carter, and Chris Kelly.

9/11 controversy and cancellation

On September 11, 2001, conservative political commentator Barbara Olson was on her way to Los Angeles to appear as a guest on Politically Incorrect, when the airplane she was on was hijacked and flown into the Pentagon during the September 11 attacks.

In the aftermath of the attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush said that the terrorists responsible were cowards. During the September 17, 2001 episode, one of Maher's guests, Dinesh D'Souza, said "These are warriors. And we have to realize that the principles of our way of life are in conflict with people in the world. And so - I mean, I'm all for understanding the sociological causes of this, but we should not blame the victim. Americans shouldn't blame themselves because other people want to bomb them." [5] Maher agreed, and replied: "We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, [it's] not cowardly." [1] Similar comments were made by others in other media. [1]

Advertisers withdrew their support, and some ABC affiliates stopped airing the show temporarily. [1] White House press secretary Ari Fleischer denounced Maher, warning that "people have to watch what they say and watch what they do." [6] Maher apologized, and explained that he had been criticizing U.S. military policy, not American soldiers. [7]

The show was canceled the following June, which Maher and many others saw as a result of the controversy, although ABC denied that the controversy was a factor and said the program was canceled due to declining ratings. [8] [9] [10] Maher said that the show struggled for advertisers in its final months. [11] There were subsequently comments in various media on the irony that a show called Politically Incorrect was canceled because its host had made a supposedly politically incorrect comment. [12] [13]

The show was replaced on ABC by Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2003.

Maher rebounded with an hour-long weekly program on HBO called Real Time with Bill Maher premiering on February 21, 2003, which follows a similar format.

Awards and recognition

The show won a 2000 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series." In addition, it was nominated for seventeen other awards, including: "Outstanding Variety"; "Outstanding Music or Comedy Series" (every year from 1995 to 2002); and "Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program" in 1997. The show also won two CableACE Awards in 1995 and 1996 for Talk Show Series and was nominated for a third in 1997. It was also nominated for two Writers Guild of America awards for best Comedy/Variety series in 2001 and 2002. [14]

Maher released a book in 1997, Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? The Best of Politically Incorrect, which featured questions asked on the show, comments Maher made and guest answers. In 2003 an audiobook POLITICAL INCORRECTIONS: The Best Opening Monologues from Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher was released, which featured opening monologues from the show accompanied by explanations of the current affairs that were being discussed in the media at that time.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Alexander</span> American actor (born 1959)

Jay Scott Greenspan, known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. He played George Costanza in the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998, for which he was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Leno</span> American television host and comedian (born 1950)

James Douglas Muir Leno is an American television host, writer and comedian. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's The Tonight Show from 1992 until 2009 when Conan O'Brien took over as host. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ET, also on NBC. When O'Brien turned down NBC's offer to have Leno host a half hour monologue show before The Tonight Show to boost ratings amid reported viewership diminishing, it led to the 2010 Tonight Show conflict which resulted in Leno returning to hosting the show on March 1, 2010. He hosted his last episode of his second tenure on February 6, 2014. That year, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. From 2014 to 2022, he hosted Jay Leno's Garage, and from 2021 to 2023, hosted the revival of You Bet Your Life.

<i>Late Show with David Letterman</i> American late-night talk show (1993-2015)

The Late Show with David Letterman is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the Late Show franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, and CBS Television Studios. The show's music director and leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, was Paul Shaffer. The head writer was Matt Roberts and the announcer was originally Bill Wendell, then Alan Kalter. In most U.S. markets the show aired from 11:35 p.m. to 12:35 a.m. Eastern and Pacific Time, and recorded Monday to Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The second Thursday episode usually aired on Friday of that week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Crenna</span> American actor (1926–2003)

Richard Donald Crenna was an American actor.

<i>Jimmy Kimmel Live!</i> American late-night talk show

Jimmy Kimmel Live!, sometimes shortened to JKL, is an American late-night political satire talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show is held at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California. It debuted on January 26, 2003 as part of ABC's lead-out programming for Super Bowl XXXVII. For its first ten years, Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired at either the midnight or 12:05 a.m. ET/PT before moving to 11:35 p.m. on January 8, 2013. Despite its name, the show has not regularly aired live since 2004, when censors were unable to properly bleep censor a barrage of swearing from actor Thomas Jane.

<i>Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn</i> American TV series or program

Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn was a comedic talk show which aired on Comedy Central from 2002 to 2004. The show featured host Colin Quinn and a panel of comedian guests, discussing politics, current events, and social issues.

<i>Sports Night</i> American dramedy television series (1998-2000)

Sports Night is an American television series about a fictional sports news show also called Sports Night. It focuses on the friendships, pitfalls and ethical issues the creative talent of the program face while trying to produce a good show under constant network pressure. Created by Aaron Sorkin, the half-hour prime time comedy drama aired on ABC for two seasons, from September 22, 1998, to May 16, 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Maher</span> American comedian and television host (born 1956)

William Maher is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher (2003–present) and the similar late-night show called Politically Incorrect (1993–2002), originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC. In 2022, Maher started the podcast Club Random.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurie Metcalf</span> American actress (born 1955)

Laura Elizabeth Metcalf is an American actress. Metcalf is known for her complex and versatile roles across the stage and screen. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning more than four decades, including an Obie Award, two Tony Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and three Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Mason</span> American comedian and actor (1928–2021)

Jackie Mason was an American stand-up comedian and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanda Sykes</span> American comedian and actress (born 1964)

Wanda Yvette Sykes is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on The Chris Rock Show, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America. She is also known for her recurring roles on CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–10), and HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001–2011). She received Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series nominations for her roles in ABC's Black-ish (2015–2022), and Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2020). She currently stars in the Netflix original series The Upshaws (2021–), the HBO Max comedy series The Other Two (2019–2023), and The Good Fight (2021).

<i>Real Time with Bill Maher</i> American television talk show

Real Time with Bill Maher is an American television talk show that airs weekly on HBO, hosted by comedian and political satirist Bill Maher. Much like his previous series Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central and later on ABC, Real Time features a panel of guests who discuss current events in politics and the media. Unlike the previous show, guests are usually better versed in the subject matter; more experts such as journalists, professors, and politicians participate in the panel, and fewer actors and celebrities are included.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kato Kaelin</span> American television personality and O. J. Simpson trial witness

Brian Gerard "Kato" Kaelin is an American actor and radio and television personality, who was a witness in the O. J. Simpson murder case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joy Behar</span> American comedian and television host

Josephine Victoria "Joy" Behar is an American comedian, television host, and actress. She co-hosts the ABC daytime talk show The View, where she is the only original panelist still regularly appearing. She hosted The Joy Behar Show on HLN from 2009 to 2011 and Joy Behar: Say Anything! on Current TV, from 2012 until the channel switched formats in August 2013. Behar's latest weekly late-night talk show, Late Night Joy, aired on TLC in 2015. She also wrote The Great Gasbag: An A–Z Study Guide to Surviving Trump World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Miller</span> American comedian and political commentator (born 1961)

Stephanie Catherine Miller is an American political commentator, comedian, and host of The Stephanie Miller Show, a Progressive talk radio program produced in Los Angeles, California, by WYD Media Management and syndicated nationally by Westwood One. In 2017, Talkers Magazine ranked her the 23rd-most important radio talk show host in the U.S. Miller has leveraged her talk show via various platforms including online, as well as via her Sexy Liberal Tour live comedy show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Wilmore</span> American comedian

Elister Larry Wilmore III is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actor. He served as the "Senior Black Correspondent" on The Daily Show from 2006 to 2014, and hosted The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore in 2015 and 2016. He is also the creator of the sitcom The Bernie Mac Show. He served as an executive producer for the ABC television series Black-ish, and is the co-creator, with Issa Rae, of the HBO television series Insecure. Since May 2017, he has hosted a podcast, Black on the Air, where he discusses current events and interviews guests. He is the host of the talk show Wilmore.

Amazon Fishbowl was a short-lived online talk show on Amazon.com hosted by Bill Maher that featured information and interviews related to recently released books, music, and movies. Amazon Fishbowl debuted on June 1, 2006 and was discontinued in late 2007 after 12 episodes.

<i>Later</i> (talk show) Former American late-night talk show

Later is a nightly half-hour-long late-night talk show that ran on NBC from 1988 until 2001.

<i>The Jay Leno Show</i> Short-lived American late-night talk show

The Jay Leno Show is an American prime time talk show hosted by Jay Leno that was broadcast by NBC from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010. The series was a spiritual successor to his previous late-night talk show The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and used a similar format consisting of a comedic monologue, followed by celebrity interviews and other comedy segments.

Jimmy Brogan, sometimes credited as Jim Brogan, is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He has made numerous standup appearances on the talk show circuit including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. He was a writer on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno for 9 years. As an actor, he starred in the ABC sitcom Out of the Blue.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bohlen, Celestine. (2001-09-21.) "Think tank; In new war on terrorism, words are weapons, too". The New York Times online archive. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.
  2. ↑ "'Politically Incorrect' Canceled; ABC Goes With Jimmy Kimmel". Los Angeles Times. May 15, 2002.
  3. ↑ "Christine O'Donnell: 'I Dabbled in Witchcraft'". ABC News. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  4. 1 2 Carter, Bill (1994-02-27). "TELEVISION; Lots of Political Humor, and No Morton Kondracke". The New York Times . Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  5. ↑ Brownfield, Paul (2001-09-26). "Troubled Timing Takes Maher Beyond 'Politically Incorrect'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  6. ↑ Carter, Bill; Barringer, Felicity (2001-09-28) "A nation challenged: Speech and expression; in patriotic time, dissent is muted". The New York Times online archive. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.
  7. ↑ Harrington, Matt (2001-09-24). "'Politically Incorrect' suspended by local ABC affiliate". Triad Business Journal. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  8. ↑ (2003-05-05.) "Maher: Politically incorrect on broadway". CBS News website. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.
  9. ↑ Kirn, Walter. (2002-05-26.) "The way we live now: 5-26-02; The end of the affair". The New York Times online archive. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.
  10. ↑ "Maher tapes final episode of 'Politically Incorrect'". USA Today online, retrieved on 2007-10-09.
  11. ↑ Maher, Bill. (2006-09-10.) "When can we finally be funny again?" The Los Angeles Times Retrieved 2007-10-09.
  12. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-06-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ↑ "Boston Legal: Schadenfreude" (PDF). Boston Legal. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  14. ↑ "Awards for "Politically Incorrect"". IMDb. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.