Some comedians created and sustained comic per-
sonas in weekly sitcoms, and some took their televi-
sion personas to the big screen. Others, more stand-
up comedian than actor, retained their live-perfor-
mance proficiency, performing at comedy clubs and
other small venues. When their careers as television
or movie stars faded, they still had their skills as
stand-up comedians.
New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago have
some of the best-known comedy clubs in the United
States—Dangerfield’s, Gotham Comedy Club,
Stand-Up NY, The Comedy Store, Groundlings The-
ater, Laugh Factory, The Second City, and The
Improv—as do other cities like Atlanta, St. Louis,
Columbus, Indianapolis, and Dayton. The clubs
have open mike events at which amateur comedians
can perform before audiences and quickly learn
what does and does not work. Comedians try out
new material and new takes on old material, putting
together a routine of stories, one-liners, and satiric
or ridiculous observations about life, culture, or
people. Word-of-mouth publicity brings exceptional
comedians’ names to the attention of eager agents
or producers with connections to late-night televi-
sion shows. After such an introduction to the
broader public, a comedian’s chances of breaking
into series television or film are increased.
Television Comedians Many comedians on televi-
sion started out doing stand-up, receiving little com-
pensation for their work and occasional abuse from
audience hecklers. By the 1990’s, some had already
established themselves as giants in their field. Carol
Burnett and Bill Cosby, for example, had reached
their pinnacle in the 1980’s or before and were be-
ginning to fade as the new decade dawned. Burnett’s
outstanding variety shows of the 1960’s and 1970’s,
An Evening with Carol BurnettandThe Carol Burnett
Show, were followed by two short-lived shows in the
1990’s. Cosby’s groundbreakingThe Cosby Showwent
off the air in 1992 after eight seasons. His other sit-
com series,Cosby, played to lesser acclaim in the lat-
ter part of the decade.
Among the comedians who made successful tran-
sitions from comedy clubs to television in the 1990’s
were Jerry Seinfeld, Martin Lawrence, Tim Allen,
Roseanne Barr, Ray Romano, Brett Butler, Damon
Wayans, Jamie Foxx, Phil Hartman, and Drew Carey.
Each starred in a television sitcom, all with consider-
able commercial success. Foxx joined the cast ofIn
Living Colorin 1991 and later starred in critically ac-
claimed films, includingRay(2004), for which he
won an Academy Award for Best Actor. Chris Rock,
credited by many with reviving interest in stand-up
comedy, starred in acclaimed comedy specials—
including the career-launchingChris Rock: Bring the
Pain(1996)—on the pay-television network Home
Box Office (HBO).
Television was not a successful venture for some
comedians, however. Paula Poundstone and Sinbad
both had shows that lasted only one season.The
Paula Poundstone Show, in fact, lasted only two epi-
sodes. Its unusual format mixing political observa-
tion, comedy sketches, and interactions with the au-
dience did not find an audience, and ratings were
low.The Sinbad Show, a sitcom, lasted a full season,
but being about an extended African American fam-
ily, the show may have suffered from comparison
withThe Cosby Show. Ellen DeGeneres’s showEllen
aired from 1994 to 1998 but was most notable for be-
ing the vehicle through which she revealed her ho-
mosexuality.
Film Comedians Some stand-up comedians’ per-
formances on television variety shows likeSaturday
Night Liveor the late-night talk shows hosted by Da-
vid Letterman and Jay Leno opened the way to
movie careers. Jim Carrey, a slapstick comedian, per-
formed for a couple of seasons in sketches onIn Liv-
ing Colorand in a short-lived sitcomThe Duck Factor y
before he starred inAce Ventura: Pet Detective(1994),
a goofy, crude, but commercially successful movie.
He followed that with 1994’sThe MaskandDumb and
Dumber, commercial successes that established him
as an A-list comedic actor.
Tim Allen, a character comedian, had a long-
running television series,Home Improvement, that ran
through most of the 1990’s. He also acted in suc-
cessful movies likeThe Santa Clause(1994),Jungle 2
Jungle(1997), andGalaxy Quest(1999). Roseanne
Barr’s TV movieBackfield in Motion(1991) and two
theatrical films,Even Cowgirls Get the Blues(1993)
andBlue in the Face(1995), never brought the success
of her television series, nor did her television talk
show.
Impact Comedians like Seinfeld, Allen, Carrey,
Cosby, Romano, Hartman, and Barr dominated tele-
vision sitcoms, sketch comedies, and film comedies
in the 1990’s. Their popularity influenced American
culture, affecting attitudes about race, religion,The Nineties in America Comedians 213