History of the World, Part II facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History of the World, Part II |
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| Genre | Sketch comedy |
| Starring |
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| Narrated by | Mel Brooks |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Running time | 29−31 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Release | |
| Original network | Hulu |
| Original release | March 6 – March 9, 2023 |
History of the World, Part II is an American sketch comedy limited television series written and produced by Mel Brooks, Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll, Ike Barinholtz, and David Stassen. The series serves as a sequel to the 1981 film written and directed by Brooks, with sketches parodying events from different periods of human history and legend. It premiered on March 6, 2023, on Hulu.
Cast
The cast features a large ensemble, including a core of several regulars who are also among the series writers:
Main
- Mel Brooks as Narrator. Orson Welles served as Narrator in History of the World, Part I (1981).
- Wanda Sykes as various characters, including Harriet Tubman, Bessie Coleman, and Shirley Chisholm.
- Nick Kroll as various characters, including Schmuck Mudman, Judas, Galileo, Henry Kissinger, and Japheth.
- Ike Barinholtz as various characters, including Ulysses S. Grant, Alexander Graham Bell, Leon Trotsky, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Recurring
- Johnny Knoxville as Grigori Rasputin
- Jason "Wee Man" Acuña as Russian Assassin
- Chris Pontius as Russian Assassin
- Preston Lacy as Russian Noble
- Pamela Adlon as Fanny Mudman (loosely based on Fanny Kaplan)
- Charles Melton as Joshy Mudman
- Will Sasso as Fred
- Dove Cameron as Princess Anastasia Romanov
- Danny DeVito as Tsar Nicolas Romanov
- Ana Ortiz as Princess Alix
- Lisa Gilroy as a Romanov daughter / Eva Braun
- Rob Corddry as Vladimir Lenin
- Jack Black as Joseph Stalin
- Craig Cackowski as 1940s Joseph Stalin
- Wendi McLendon-Covey as Russian Peasant
- Kumail Nanjiani as Vātsyāyana
- Sarayu Rao as Publisher
- Parvesh Cheena as Publisher
- Josh Gad as William Shakespeare
- Lauren Lapkus as Shakespeare Writer
- Lance Crouther as Shakespeare Writer
- Seth Morris as Freud Patient / Shakespeare Writer
- Taika Waititi as Sigmund Freud
- Guy Branum as Serf Board Vendor / Hare
- Paul Scheer as Bot Seed Vendor
- Fred Armisen as Glorp
- Rob Riggle as Roman Soldier
- Ayo Edebiri as Japeth's Wife / Underground Railroad Slave
- Jay Ellis as Jesus
- Anna Maria Horsford as Mother Mary
- Zazie Beetz as Mary Magdalene
- Quinta Brunson as Martha Magdalene
- Richard Kind as Saint Peter
- J. B. Smoove as Luke
- Andy Cohen as Andy Khan
- Ronny Chieng as Kublai Khan
- Jake Johnson as Marco Polo
- Poppy Liu as Ehri
- Kimiko Glenn as Chabi
- Jenifer Lewis as Grandma
- Jon Daly as Glenn
- Hannah Einbinder as Amelia Earhart
- Josh Fadem as Private Bryant
- Lennon Parham as Berlin Wall-pecker
- Owen Burke as Boris / Red Sox Fan
- Jillian Bell as Head Writer
- Ken Marino as Archbishop
- Emily Ratajkowski as White Mary Magdalene
- Brock O'Hurn as White Swole Jesus / Swole Mel Brooks
- Casey Wilson as White Mother Mary / Gloria Steinem
- David Duchovny as Howard Cosell Impersonator
- Marla Gibbs as Ruby Seale
- Colton Dunn as Conrad Chisholm
- Kym Whitley as Florynce Kennedy
- George Wallace as George Wallace
- Blake Griffin as Muhammad Ali
- Finesse Mitchell as Jesse Jackson
- James Adomian as President Richard Nixon / FDR
- Mary Holland as Typhoid Mary
- Mitra Jouhari as various characters
- Scott MacArthur as WV Man
- Andy Daly as Norwegian Ambassador
- Jason Mantzoukas as Greek Ambassador
- Mena Massoud as Egyptian Ambassador
- D'Arcy Carden as Turkish Ambassador
- Mousa Kraish as Palestinian Ambassador
- Michaela Watkins as Israeli Ambassador
- Crystal Kung Minkoff as Crystal
- Pam Oliver as Herself
- Gil Ozeri as Zakher
- Andrew Rannells as Sergei
- Seth Rogen as Noah
- Jessica St. Clair as Sarah
- Sarah Silverman as Lt. Silverman
- Edgar Blackmon as Private Johnson
- Jack McBrayer as Robert E. Lee
- Josh Meyers as General Philip Sheridan
- Jason Alexander as Maurice Cheeks
- Timothy Simons as Abraham Lincoln
- Nick Robinson as Robert Todd Lincoln
- Tim Baltz as Lt. Henry Honeybeard
- Tyler James Williams as Mason Dixon
- Zahn McClarnon as Mingoes
- David Stassen as Sitcom Director / Union Soldier
- Dan Bakkedahl as Winston Churchill
- Malcolm Barrett as Captain Hanks / Idi Amin
- Drew Tarver as Adolf Hitler / Private Tully
- Eugene Cordero as Private Cooper
- Natalie Morales as Cavewoman
- Reggie Watts as Hans
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "I" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen, Nick Kroll, Lance Bangs | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 6, 2023 |
| 2 | "II" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 6, 2023 |
| 3 | "III" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 7, 2023 |
| 4 | "IV" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen, Nick Kroll, Lance Bangs | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 7, 2023 |
| 5 | "V" | Alice Mathias, Lance Bangs | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 8, 2023 |
| 6 | "VI" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 8, 2023 |
| 7 | "VII" | Alice Mathias | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 9, 2023 |
| 8 | "VIII" | Alice Mathias, David Stassen, Nick Kroll | Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Mel Brooks, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes | March 9, 2023 |
Production
Despite the numeration History of the World, Part I, there were initially no plans for a sequel to the 1981 film. The title was a play on The History of the World by Sir Walter Raleigh, which was intended to be published in several volumes but only the first was completed.
However, in October 2021, Hulu and Searchlight Television announced the Part II sequel series was in the works, with production beginning in spring 2022. Mel Brooks would produce and write the series along with Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz, and Nick Kroll, who would also appear.
Release
The first two episodes premiered on Hulu on March 6, 2023, with the remaining episodes released over the following three days. It was released internationally on the same day as an original series on Disney+, under the dedicated streaming hub Star, on Disney+ Hotstar in India, and on Star+ in Latin America.
Future
David Stassen has said that he would be on board for a Part III and would love to feature more historical figures and eras. Pamela Adlon also said she would love to be involved in a second season. Jay Ellis, who plays Jesus Christ, said he'd like to play Mayor Eric Adams, while Zazie Beetz, who plays Mary Magdalene, said she would be interested in playing Josephine Baker. Josh Gad, who plays William Shakespeare, said if he were given another go at it that he would like to play a young Seth Rogen.
