Def Comedy Jam is a HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons.
The series had its original run from July 1, 1992 to January 1, 1997. The show returned on HBO's fall lineup in 2006. Def Comedy Jam helped to launch the careers of several African-American stand-up comedians.
OK, it's kind of hard to review a stand-up show with a heavily rotating cast. Sometimes, yes, it stank. But that's because sometimes stand up stinks.
Other times it was so funny it made you choke. And I am going to review principally the times that it was so funny you couldn't breathe...because those times far outweighed the bad times.
And you saw some brilliant up and commers that were still so hungry they fought hard for each laugh.
In its time and place it was brilliant, and part of an HBO comedy line up that has yet to be topped.
Shows like this don't come around enough, and the new ones that try to emulate it do far too much to actually win the world over.
