by Ed Fortune

History of the World, Part Two is a small-screen sequel to the 1981 Mel Brooks classic comedy movie. It sounds obvious, but it’s still a surprise; the original didn’t need a sequel, and no one seriously expected one, so much so that the show’s existence is almost a joke.

The TV show is essentially more of the same, and despite the 40-year gap between the two, nothing has changed. This is good and bad; Brooks is still funny, but humanity hasn’t improved in almost half a century. Mel Brooks, now 96 years old, picks up the role of narrator and, beyond the odd special effects heavy gag, isn’t physically present, though his humour and emotion shine through. We open with Mel winking and laughing at the audience, followed by a re-do of one of the original movie’s best gags, Hitler on Ice. Plenty of anger is behind the humour, and that’s a good thing.

This is a sketch show, with history as the extremely loose thread that connects everything. (don’t expect this to be Horrible Histories). As a result, the pace is uneven; we get some lightning-fast short gags that work (and are clearly aimed at modern audiences), but we also get serialised bits, such as a Blazing Saddles-like American Civil War story or a similarly wacky take on the Russian Revolution.

Those familiar with Mel Brooks’ work will be delighted that the entire series evokes his sense of humour. Unfortunately, that also means it’s very hit-and-miss. They are some clever fusions of modern pop culture and history one moment, and then fart and poop gags the next. The cast is also quite interesting; cameos appear throughout, with everyone from David Duchovny to Jack Black turning up to do a brief comic turn. Wanda Sykes and Nick Kroll are the shining stars of the show. However, the pairing of Kroll as the comic foil works strongly against Syke’s witty delivery. History of the World, Part Two is the history parody you’d forgotten you needed. Maybe they’ll do a Spaceballs‘ TV show next…