7.6 /10 1 Votes
Country of origin United States No. of episodes 4 First episode date 13 September 1977 Number of episodes 4 | 7.6/10 IMDb No. of seasons 1 Running time 45–48 minutes Final episode date 20 October 1977 Number of seasons 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cast Similar America 2‑Night, Pryor's Place, Thicke of the Night, Robin Williams: Live on B, The Paul Lynde Show | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Richard Pryor Show is an American comedy-variety show starring Richard Pryor. It premiered on NBC on Tuesday, September 13, 1977 at 8 p.m. opposite ABC's Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days.
Contents
The show was produced by Rocco Urbisci for Burt Sugarman Productions. It was conceived out of a special that Pryor did for NBC in May 1977. Because the special was a major hit, both critically and commercially, Pryor was given a chance to host and star in his own television show.
TV Guide included the series in their 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".
Production history
The Richard Pryor Show lasted four episodes during the 1977 season.
Industry observers questioned NBC's decision to put one of America's most controversial and profanity-laced artists in the middle of "family hour" on Tuesdays.
Cast
The main cast consisted of Pryor as various characters. Some of the more popular characters were Pryor playing a money-seeking priest, a wino, and a white-hating rock star. The rest of the cast consisted of comedians, some of whom went on to have popular careers in Hollywood.
Episodes and controversy
Pryor filmed only four episodes of the show, and there were controversies beyond the first episode's title-card scene. A skit in which Pryor appeared as a machine gun-toting rocker who kills all of his white fans also caused a stir. The third episode also featured a controversial skit that showed a woman describing what her first lesbian experience was like in a park. Probably one of the most shocking and revealing skits of the show came during the last episode. The skit featured a roast (similar to ones by the Friars Club or hosted by Dean Martin). The show's cast roasted Pryor, who sat with his head down laughing mildly while regulars on the show either had kind remarks or very scornful ones.
DVD release and syndication
Because Pryor's status as a comedic and Hollywood icon continued to grow, a two-volume DVD set was released on March 23, 2004. The DVDs include the special that Pryor did that was the inspiration for the series.
In February 2010, the African-American-themed cable network TV One aired a five-hour marathon of The Richard Pryor Show, which consisted of the original special, followed by all four episodes of the series. The broadcast marked one of only two times that the show had been aired on television since its original run on NBC. In the late 1990s,it was re-shown as a summer filler show after most of their other series had either been canceled or fulfilled their regular seasons. In February 2011, TV One re-aired the episodes again in honor of black history month. The network began showing the episodes again, in August 2012.
On March 11, 2010, The Top 10 Greatest Sketches from The Richard Pryor Show was released by Alright, Dude Productions, featuring a mini-documentary format on Pryor's history, the conception of the show, and eventually moving into the actual countdown portion.