History of the World, Part II
| History of the World, Part II | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sketch comedy |
| Based on | History of the World, Part I by Mel Brooks |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Mel Brooks |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 29−31 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Hulu |
| Release | March 6 – March 9, 2023 |
History of the World, Part II is an American
limited television series written and produced by Mel Brooks, Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll, Ike Barinholtz, and David Stassen. The series serves as a sequel to the 1981 film written and directed by Brooks, with sketches parodying events from different periods of human history and legend.[1][2] It premiered on March 6, 2023, on Hulu.[3]
Cast
The cast features a large ensemble, including a core of several regulars who are also among the series writers:[4][5]
Main
- Mel Brooks as Narrator. Orson Welles served as Narrator in History of the World, Part I (1981).
- Wanda Sykes as various characters, including Harriet Tubman, Bessie Coleman, and Shirley Chisholm.
- Galileo, Henry Kissinger, and Japheth.
- Ike Barinholtz as various characters, including Ulysses S. Grant, Alexander Graham Bell, Leon Trotsky, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Recurring
- Johnny Knoxville as Grigori Rasputin
- Jason "Wee Man" Acuña as Russian Assassin
- Chris Pontius as Russian Assassin
- Preston Lacy as Russian Noble
- Pamela Adlon as Fanny Mudman (loosely based on Fanny Kaplan)
- Charles Meltonas Joshy Mudman
- Will Sasso as Fred
- Dove Cameron as Princess Anastasia Romanov
- Tsar Nicolas Romanov
- Ana Ortiz as Princess Alix
- Lisa Gilroy as a Romanov daughter / Eva Braun
- Rob Corddry as Vladimir Lenin
- Jack Black as Joseph Stalin
- Craig Cackowski as 1940s Joseph Stalin
- Wendi McLendon-Covey as Russian Peasant
- Kumail Nanjiani as Vātsyāyana
- Sarayu Rao as Publisher
- Parvesh Cheena as Publisher
- Josh Gad as William Shakespeare
- Lauren Lapkus as Shakespeare Writer
- Lance Crouther as Shakespeare Writer
- Seth Morris as Freud Patient / Shakespeare Writer
- Taika Waititi as Sigmund Freud
- Guy Branum as Serf Board Vendor / Hare
- Paul Scheer as Bot Seed Vendor
- Fred Armisen as Glorp
- Rob Riggle as Roman Soldier
- Ayo Edebiri as Japeth's Wife / Underground Railroad Slave
- Jay Ellis as Jesus
- Mother Mary
- Zazie Beetz as Mary Magdalene
- Quinta Brunson as Martha Magdalene
- Richard Kind as Saint Peter
- J. B. Smoove as Luke
- Andy Cohen as Andy Khan
- Ronny Chieng as Kublai Khan
- Jake Johnson as Marco Polo
- Poppy Liu as Ehri
- Kimiko Glenn as Chabi
- Jenifer Lewis as Grandma
- Jon Daly as Glenn
- Hannah Einbinder as Amelia Earhart
- Josh Fadem as Private Bryant
- Lennon Parham as Berlin Wall-pecker
- Owen Burke as Boris / Red Sox Fan
- Jillian Bell as Head Writer
- Ken Marino as Archbishop
- Emily Ratajkowski as White Mary Magdalene
- Brock O'Hurn as White Swole Jesus / Swole Mel Brooks
- Mother Mary / Gloria Steinem
- David Duchovny as Howard Cosell Impersonator
- Marla Gibbs as Ruby Seale
- Colton Dunn as Conrad Chisholm
- Kym Whitley as Florynce Kennedy
- George Wallace as George Wallace
- Blake Griffin as Muhammad Ali
- Finesse Mitchell as Jesse Jackson
- FDR
- Typhoid Mary
- Mitra Jouhari as various characters
- Scott MacArthur as WV Man
- Andy Daly as Norwegian Ambassador
- Jason Mantzoukas as Greek Ambassador
- Mena Massoud as Egyptian Ambassador
- D'Arcy Carden as Turkish Ambassador
- Mousa Kraish as Palestinian Ambassador
- Michaela Watkins as Israeli Ambassador
- Crystal Kung Minkoff as Crystal
- Pam Oliver as Herself
- Gil Ozeri as Zakher
- Andrew Rannells as Sergei
- Seth Rogen as Noah
- Jessica St. Clair as Sarah
- Sarah Silverman as Lt. Silverman
- Edgar Blackmon as Private Johnson
- Jack McBrayer as Robert E. Lee
- General Philip Sheridan
- Jason Alexander as Maurice Cheeks
- Timothy Simons as Abraham Lincoln
- Nick Robinson as Robert Todd Lincoln
- Tim Baltz as Lt. Henry Honeybeard
- Tyler James Williams as Mason Dixon
- Zahn McClarnon as Mingoes
- David Stassen as Sitcom Director / Union Soldier
- Dan Bakkedahl as Winston Churchill
- Malcolm Barrett as Captain Hanks / Idi Amin
- Drew Tarver as Adolf Hitler / Private Tully
- Eugene Cordero as Private Cooper
- Natalie Morales as Cavewoman
- Reggie Watts as Hans
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [6] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "I" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen, Nick Kroll, Lance Bangs | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 6, 2023 | |
|
In 1865, President Jackass .
In 400 BCE India, Vātsyāyana pitches the Kama Sutra as a cookbook. Three cavewomen discover fire while struggling to light a joint. A new hire struggles to fit into William Shakespeare's writers' room. Sports commentators react to Hitler on Ice. | |||||
| 2 | "II" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 6, 2023 | |
|
A group of soldiers get seasick on D-Day. Kublai Khan and Marco Polo exchange gifts. In a parody of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Judas is hired to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. He and Luke go to Peter's one-man show, where he delivers the Kiss of Judas. In 1972, New York Representative Shirley Chisholm becomes the first black woman contender for the Democratic Party nomination for the US Presidency; she makes a sitcom about her life. She invites her boss, Richard Nixon, over for dinner and gets inspired to run for president. Grant and Robert Todd Lincoln head to Rock Ridge (no, not that Rock Ridge), West Virginia in search of liquor but end up held at gunpoint in a saloon. | |||||
| 3 | "III" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 7, 2023 | |
| After inventing the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell gets the first crank call. Noah fills his ark with only dogs. Sigmund Freud gives a MasterClass on psychoanalysis. Three Union soldiers get lost while attempting to rescue Grant from West Virginia. They stumble upon the Underground Railroad where Harriet Tubman points them in the right direction. In Moscow, Schmuck Mudman gets a job serving lunch to Vladimir Lenin's politburo, where a bullied Joseph Stalin dreams of taking charge. Schmuck's wife, Fanny, plots Lenin's assassination. Their son, Joshy, finds Princess Anastasia in hiding and the two fall in love. | |||||
| 4 | "IV" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen, Nick Kroll, Lance Bangs | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 7, 2023 | |
| In Mesoamerica, a sacrificial virgin tries to claim she's had sex. In Russia, Fanny uses her husband's food cart to sneak into the politburo chambers and shoot Lenin, with Stalin secretly helping him die. Joshy and Anastasia announce their engagement, and the family decides to emigrate to America. In ancient Judea, Jesus and Mary Magdalene have their first date. In ancient Egypt, a scam artist entices a couple with a pyramid pyramid scheme. | |||||
| 5 | "V" | Alice Mathias, Lance Bangs | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 8, 2023 | |
|
Galileo appears on Cameo and TikTok. General Grant and Robert Todd Lincoln are rescued by Harriet Tubman. Shirley Chisholm visits George Wallace in the hospital. The photographers at the Yalta Conference try to make things fun. | |||||
| 6 | "VI" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 8, 2023 | |
|
Jesus and the Apostles have their last jam session. Generals Grant and Lee attempt to sign the treaty at Appomattox Courthouse, but an officious notary wants to do everything by the book. Kublai Khan explains how he's probably your ancestor. A businessman touts his business of removing and reselling controversial statues. Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman advertise their "pilot bar" in the Bermuda Triangle . | |||||
| 7 | "VII" | Alice Mathias | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 9, 2023 | |
|
At the Typhoid Mary livestreams her cooking show. Jesus and the Apostles give their rooftop sermon. The Real Concubines of Kublai Khan argue over the great Khan's affections. | |||||
| 8 | "VIII" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen, Nick Kroll | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 9, 2023 | |
|
Two East Berliners accidentally tunnel into a man's bathroom. The the Dust Bowl (grainy footage of a football game), and Jews in Space! | |||||
Production
Despite the numeration
However, in October 2021, Hulu and Searchlight Television announced the Part II sequel series was in the works, with production beginning in spring 2022. Mel Brooks would produce and write the series along with Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz, and Nick Kroll, who would also appear.[10]
Release
The first two episodes premiered on Hulu on March 6, 2023, with the remaining episodes released over the following three days.[11] It was released internationally on the same day as an original series on Disney+, under the dedicated streaming hub Star, on Disney+ Hotstar, and on Star+ in Latin America.[12]
Reception
Audience viewership
According to Hulu, History of the World, Part II was the most-watched Hulu Original scripted original series of 2023 in its first week of launch.[13][14]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 73% of 51 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Nick Kroll takes up the torch from Mel Brooks and does him proud with an all-star sketch series that's just as uproariously funny — and as hit-and-miss — as the original motion picture."[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 64 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming | Angel Gamboa Bryant, Stephanie Filo, Daniel Flesher and George Mandl (Episode: "III") | Nominated | [17] |
| Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance | Mel Brooks (Episode: "VIII") | Nominated | [18] | ||
| 2024 | Art Directors Guild Awards | Excellence in Production Design for a Variety, Reality, or Competition Series | Monica Sotto (for "VIII") | Nominated | [19] |
Future
David Stassen has said that he would be on board for a Part III and would love to feature more historical figures and eras.
Jesus Christ, said he'd like to play Mayor Eric Adams, while Zazie Beetz, who plays Mary Magdalene, said she would be interested in playing Josephine Baker. Josh Gad, who plays William Shakespeare, said if he were given another go at it that he would like to play a young Seth Rogen.[20]
References
- ^ Clark, Mickel (February 24, 2023). "Everything you need to know about History of the World II". TheStreamBible.com.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (January 13, 2023). "'History Of The World, Part II': Hulu Drops Official Trailer For Mel Brooks Sequel Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ Sheehan, Sofia (March 5, 2023). "Where to Watch 'History of the World, Part II': Stream Mel Brooks' Highly-Anticipated Sequel". Collider. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- EW.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ Flam, Charna (February 7, 2023). "'History of the World, Part II': Hulu Releases First Trailer For Mel Brooks' Sequel Series (TV News Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ "History of the World, Part II Episode Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Berkowitz, Joe (January 3, 2013). "How I Got My EGOT: 12 Lessons Mel Brooks Learned Making TV, Albums, Movies, and Theater". Fast Company. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ Raleigh, Sir Walter. "The History of the World" (PDF). University of Washington.
- ^ Motamayor, Rafael (January 18, 2023). "One Of History Of The World, Part I's Most Memorable Jokes Was A Last-Minute Addition From Mel Brooks". /Film. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (October 18, 2021). "'History of the World Part II' Variety Series Ordered at Hulu, Mel Brooks to Write and Executive Produce (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- ^ Kelley, Aidan (2023-01-21). "'History of the World: Part II': Release Date, Cast, Trailer, and Everything We Know so Far". Collider. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ "History of the World, Part II". Disney+. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ Seitz, Loree (March 21, 2023). "'History of the World, Part II' Becomes Hulu's Most Watched Scripted Original of 2023 (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ Bart, Lily (April 27, 2023). "Record-Breaking Viewership for History of the World Part 2: Becomes a Must-Watch". ScreenBinge.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ "History of the World: Part II". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ History of the World, Part II, Metacritic, retrieved 2023-06-23
- ^ Rice, Lynette; Hipes, Patrick (July 12, 2023). "Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations: The Complete List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ Czachor, Emily Mae (July 12, 2023). "2023 Emmy Awards: "Succession" leads nominees as HBO ties record - CBS News". CBS News. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ Tangcay, Jazz (January 9, 2024). "Saltburn, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon Lead Art Directors Guild 2024 Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Burton, James. "Will 'History of the World Part 2' Get Another Season? Cast Talk Show's Fate". Newsweek. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
External links
- History of the World, Part II at IMDb
