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Comedy Central Roast
| Comedy Central Roast | |
|---|---|
| |
| Premiere | August 10, 2003 |
| Latest | |
| Creator | Comedy Central |
| Network | Comedy Central |
| Style | 90-minute comedy special |
| Produced | 17 |
| Origin | USA |
Comedy Central Roast is a series of comedy specials patterned after the NY Friars Club Roasts which Comedy Central first started airing in 1998 until the network instead began producing its own roasts.
These roasts have been a source of controversy for many who were fans of the earlier, sanctioned roasts in part because of the first honoree and a perceived conflict of interests. While Denis Leary is an experienced and popular comedian, he also has strong ties with Comedy Central, particularly in the year prior to the roast. In 2002, Leary starred in the parody series Contest Searchlight, frequently appeared on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and was named as an executive producer for Shorties Watching Shorties, which was in production by Leary's Apostle. Leary's roast was also produced by his own production company, which made the honor seem dubious and inauthentic.
Despite the issues associated with the roasts they are now produced annually, but instead of focusing on comedians and writers, they are almost entirely feature pop culture icons like William Shatner and Pamela Anderson. To further distance themselves from the dignity of the NY Friars Club Roasts, instead of booking friends and prominent comedians, the Comedy Central Roasts typically employ friends of the production company or people who have deals with Comedy Central like Nick DiPaulo, Greg Giraldo and Lisa Lampanelli.
The 2008 installment was originally reported to feature Willie Nelson, with an April 2008 recording and a June 2008 airdate. However, the recording was indefinitely postponed and was replaced by Bob Saget.
Specials
DVD Releases
| Title | Release Date | # | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made-for-TV Movies | |||
| Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary: Uncensored! | August 3, 2004 | 1 | |
| Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson: Uncensored! | February 14, 2006 | 1 | |
| Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner: Extended & Uncensored! | March 20, 2007 | 1 | |
| Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav: Extended & Uncensored! | February 12, 2008 | 1 | |
| Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget: Extended & Uncensored! | December 30, 2008 | 1 | |
| Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff: Extended and Uncensored! | January 11, 2011 | 1 | |
| Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen Amazon DVD-R |
April 10, 2012 | 1 | |
