Mel Brooks’ fans have been eagerly awaiting a sequel to his iconic film, History of the World, Part I, and finally, the wait is over. The much-anticipated series, History of the World, Part II, has arrived, brought to life by writers, stars, and executive producers Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll, and Ike Barinholtz. The show continues the tradition of framing each episode as a series of sketches covering the entire history of civilization, from the Civil War to the Last Supper set to a Beatles-esque recording session.
David Stassen, the showrunner, and Alice Mathias, the director, sat down to discuss how the show came to be. According to Stassen, his first exposure to Mel Brooks was History of the World on VHS tape, followed by Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, which he watched repeatedly in his childhood. Mathias, on the other hand, grew up on Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Spaceballs. The two share a love for Mel Brooks’ work, which has been an influential figure in the film and television space.
During the interview, Stassen and Mathias discussed how the show was brought together. Stassen explained that they targeted Mathias for her sketch comedy experience, having worked on shows such as Portlandia and Documentary Now!. The two also talked about the show’s far-reaching concept, covering many different time periods, and how they decided what would make it to the screen. Stassen mentioned that they built the show around key ideas, breaking up longer sketches into multiple episodes and peppering one-off sketches throughout.
A Still From History of the World, Part II (Photo: History of the World, Part II)
When asked about anything that was shot or written that ended up on the cutting room floor, Mathias mentioned an entire episode dedicated to parodying Get Back, which was a fan favorite. Stassen reassured that they got to use most of what they wanted, thanks to Hulu’s freedom to air longer episodes.
The conversation wrapped up with some silly questions, including a history nerd’s dream scenario: if they could go to any historical time period or talk to any historical figure, what would it be? Mathias would like to visit the era of the dinosaurs, while Stassen would choose to talk to a serf in England in the year 1150.
Finally, they were asked which Rock Ridge they would prefer to visit: the one from Blazing Saddles or History of the World, Part II. Both Stassen and Mathias chose Blazing Saddles, citing the more lighthearted atmosphere. History of the World, Part II is now available to stream on Hulu.
