Netflix recruits Billy Crystal, Lily Tomlin, and Neil Patrick Harris for Laugh-In tribute
Iconic ‘60s-’70s sketch comedy series Laugh-In still holds a bit of pop culture weight, especially for people who remember how often it was a reference point for ‘90s cartoons, and now Netflix is planning to bring it back with a 50th anniversary special called Still Laugh-In: The Stars Celebrate. This comes from Rolling Stone, which says the streaming event will feature a weird selection of big stars, including Billy Crystal, Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris, Taye Diggs, Michael Douglas, Chelsea Handler, Jay Leno, Rita Moreno, Rita Wilson, Jo Anne Worley, Snoop Dogg, Maria Bamford, Margaret Cho, and Jameela Jamil, with Lily Tomlin both hosting and reviving her “seminal Edith Ann and Ernestine characters.”
The original series, hosted by Ran Rowan and Dick Martin, ran from 1968 to 1973. As Rolling Stone notes, it had a big impact on both sketch comedy and political satire, so what are the odds Netflix got Donald Trump to pop in and say “sock it to me” for this? Either way, we don’t want that. Please don’t do that, Netflix.
Still Laugh-In will premiere on Netflix on May 14, and no, we also don’t know how they decided that 2019 was the right time for a 50th anniversary special.