Johnny Carson: The King of Late Night

Before there was Fallon, Kimmel, or Colbert — there was Johnny Carson, the undisputed King of Late Night.

We talk with Howard Smith, author of the book, My Friend Johnny, who was Carson's longtime Malibu neighbor, friend, and tennis partner.

Howard pulls back the curtain on Carson’s private world — from secret card games with Steve Martin, Don Rickles, Carl Reiner, and Martin Short, to the personal joke-writing advice Johnny gave Jay Leno.

We also get tales of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Weintraub, and even a Carson monologue name-drop that sent Howard’s high school friends into a frenzy.

Larry Charles: Borat, Seinfeld & Comedy Samurai

Larry Charles won an Emmy writing for Seinfeld, directed Borat, Brüno, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and has collaborated with Larry David, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Bob Dylan .

Larry joins CH101 for some serious comedy inside baseball:

  • How he helped shape the voice of Seinfeld with Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld

  • The chaos behind Borat's infamous poop-bag dinner scene

  • What it was really like making subversive comedy with Sacha Baron Cohen

    Get the inside scoop on one of comedy's most fearless minds and check out Larry's new book: Comedy Samurai.

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The State: MTV's Cult Comedy Sketch Show

The State was the MTV sketch show that launched the careers of Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, David Wain, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, Kevin Allison—and several more (the troupe had 11 members).

From dorm-room sketches at NYU to comedy milestones like Reno 911, Stella, Viva Variety, and the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer, The State helped redefine alternative comedy for a generation.

Director Matthew Perniciaro joins CH101 to talk about his new documentary Long Live The State and how this pioneering sketch group shaped the future of alt-comedy.