‘The Story of Everest’ and More of the Most Influential Comedy to Today’s TV Writers

If you’re looking for a fun way to kill some time today, Decider published a great two-part series where they asked 25 comedy writers to write about a television episode, sketch, or special that helped inspire them to get into comedy. Notably, Mr. Show’s classic “The Story of Everest†sketch has the distinction of being the only response to show up twice on the list. “I laugh just as hard at it now as I did then; it’s a perfect sketch,†Colton Dunn said of the sketch. “It taught me that repetition, heightening, and simplicity can be powerful tools in comedy.†Joe Mande, who also chose to write about the sketch, called it “an amazing display of physical comedy†by Jay Johnston and compared it to a magic trick: “Johnston crashes into the thimbles seven or eight times. You see it coming. You know what’s going to happen. And yet, somehow, it gets a laugh each time. If I ever write anything anywhere close to that sketch, I will be happy.â€

Check out the sketch below, and head over to Decider to read more responses from Mike Schur, Roy Wood Jr., Jessica St. Clair, Lennon Parham, Jermaine Fowler, Andy Daly, and more.

‘The Story of Everest’ and More of the Most […]