The words of George Carlin have stayed with us for decades, and have influenced countless comedians. Now, we’ll be able to take a look beyond the curtain to see more of what made the great and powerful comedy icon so, well, truly great and powerful.
As announced on Monday (May 2), George Carlin’s American Dream will premiere on HBO on May 20. The two-part documentary series, directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio (Gary Gulman’s The Great Depresh), chronicles the life and work of Carlin, as he rose from growing up in his native Morningside Heights neighborhood in Manhattan to becoming one of the most revered comedic and socially critical voices of all-time over the course of his half century-long career.
Aside from detailing his rise to fame through a vast archive of footage, photos, audio recordings and more, the documentary also opens an intimate window that brings us into his personal life from growing up in New York City, to his struggle with drugs, his encounters with the law, and the love he had for his family. And of course, the series touches on the influence Carlin had on comedy and show business in general through interviews with some of the industry’s biggest names including Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Patton Oswalt, Bill Burr, Bette Midler, Sam Jay, Jon Stewart, W. Kamau Bell and many more.
Both parts of the series will premiere on HBO at the same time over the course of two nights, with the first episode airing on May 20 at 8 p.m. EDT, while the second episode is set to air on May 21.
Check out the trailer below.