The Richard Pryor Show, 1977: Four Episodes, Goodbye

By | September 7, 2020

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The Richard Pryor Show on NBC is as unlikely as it sounds -- how could a network give the most outrageous standup comedian in the business his own comedy show in prime time? But that's just what happened in 1977. The program was brilliant, risky, uncompromising, and too good to last. Just four episodes in, The Richard Pryor Show came to a screeching halt. But its brief run left a lasting influence on a generation of comedians, and its fearless approach to taboo subjects is seen the most successful comedy shows in the 21st century.

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The one and only, Richard Pryor. (forbes)

In the '70s and '80s, no comedian owned the title of "Comic's comic" more than Richard Pryor. The foul-mouthed, in-your-face Pryor trampled the clean-cut Bill Cosby style with comedy albums titled That Ni**er's Crazy and Bicentennial Ni**er. Those two comedy albums went gold and won Grammys in back to back years. Despite an insanely difficult childhood where he was raised by his grandmother in a brothel, Pryor found success creating a comedic style that was never seen before or since. Despite his expletive laden, can't-believe-what-he-just-said style, NBC decided they should give the wildly successful comedian his own network show. In '77 a short but legendary four-episode run of The Richard Pryor Show shocked the world.