Most comedy nerds wouldn’t mention Bill Maher and George Carlin in the same sentence, except, perhaps, Bill Maher. But as Vice points out, Maher is the only stand-up comedian who stands a chance of breaking a longstanding Carlin record.
The late comedian holds the prestigious distinction of recording the most HBO comedy specials. While the Guinness Book of World Records rightly recognizes Kathy Griffin as the all-time comedy special champ (20!), eighteen of those aired on Bravo. Worth a round of applause, but not near the prestige of an HBO hour.
Carlin, on the other hand, recorded a jaw-dropping 14 specials for HBO, starting with George Carlin at USC in 1977 and continuing for thirty years through 2008’s George Carlin… It’s Bad for Ya! HBO and Carlin were a match made in pay-TV heaven. While the comic got arrested in Milwaukee for performing his “Seven Words You Cannot Say on Television,” HBO proved that comics could say those words on the boob tube after all. Airing the routine opened up a whole new world for comedians used to cleaning up their acts for The Tonight Show. HBO even encouraged producers to add more adult language, all thanks to Carlin proving that there was an audience for edgy comedy.
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In some ways, the story of HBO is the story of George Carlin, according to James Andrew Miller’s Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers. Which is why we can’t let Bill Maher anywhere near the legacy.
To be fair, Maher has an HBO heritage of his own. His Politically Incorrect roundtable, produced by HBO for Comedy Central and later ABC, felt fresh in 1993. It morphed into HBO’s Real Time after Maher’s inopportune lecture on 9/11 terrorists caused ABC to pull the plug. Despite stepping into controversy many times over the years, the company always stood by the comic. “Bill Maher is a legendary HBO Hall of Famer,” says former CEO Richard Plepler.
Vice sets the number of Maher HBO comedy specials at 11, but sources like Variety say he’s up to 13, thanks to this year’s Is Anyone Else Seeing This? In either case, Maher is creeping dangerously close to Carlin’s record, and he’s clearly not done yet. His Real Time is reportedly the most-watched show on HBO, so the network would likely give Maher another stand-up hour or two if he wants them.
Carlin was only 71 when he died; Maher turns 70 in January. Had Carlin not passed away at a relatively young age, he’d no doubt have put more distance between himself and his pot-puffing counterpart. But the numbers are what they are.
So, HBO, if you’re listening, you’ve done more than enough for Bill Maher by giving him a weekly soapbox for his Woke rants. So here’s a new rule: Honor your history with Carlin’s comedy by keeping Maher far away from the stand-up stage on your streaming service.
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