Def Comedy Jam
GenreStand-up comedy
Created byRussell Simmons
Presented byMartin Lawrence
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons7
Production
Camera setupSingle camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companyBrillstein-Grey Communications Russell Simmons Television HBO
Release
Original networkHBO
Picture formatNTSC
Audio formatStereo
Original releaseMarch 7, 1992 (1992-03-07) –
May 2, 1997 (1997-05-02)

Def Comedy Jam is an HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons.[1][2][3]

The series had its original run from March 7, 1992 to May 2, 1997. Simmons was inspired to make Def Comedy Jam by The Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem, New York[citation needed] and Jerry Lewis' movie The Nutty Professor.[citation needed] The show returned on HBO's fall lineup in 2006. Def Comedy Jam helped to launch the careers of several African-American stand-up comedians.[4] Comedian Rich Vos was the first Caucasian to perform on the show.

Spin-offs

The show produced a spinoff called Loco Slam.[5]

Home media

The show was released on DVD boxsets in the US and the UK.[6]

References

  1. ^ Williams, Frank B. (1997-03-13). "STAGE; Totally 'Def'; Spinoff of HBO's hit comedy showcase comes to CSUN". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  2. ^ "Has Black Comedy Been Beaten Blue? : 'Def Comedy Jam' is a hit--but with some African American comics turning to cable shows that limit the raunchiness, clean and subtle could be the wave of the future". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  3. ^ O'Connor, John J. (1993-07-08). "Review/Television; Onstage at the Outer Limits of the Outrageous". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  4. ^ Braxton, Greg (1992-08-06). "LAUGHZ N THE HOOD : Television: A showcase for unknown black comics, 'Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam' begins its second season Friday on HBO". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  5. ^ Braxton, Greg (1994-02-20). "Loco Hopes to Hit Grand Slam for Latinos". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  6. ^ "Def Comedy Jam Classics, Vols. 1 and 2". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2011-01-03.

External links


HBO programming
Categories