‘History of the World, Part II’ Is a Mel Brooks Mixed Bag of Hits and Misses: TV Review
variety.comAmber Dowling It took 42 years, but Mel Brooks is finally making good on a parody of a promise he never seemed likely to keep: Bringing “History of the World, Part II” to audiences far and wide.
The filmmaker addresses that elephant in the room within the opening minutes of the new, eight-part Hulu series, admitting that he agreed to the project under two conditions — that there could be no repeat gags, and that he be made to look exactly like he did in the 1981 original film.
The show winks at both of those conditions by the end of the first episode, setting the tone for any unaware viewers that were expecting historical insight or veracity on world events.
In “Part II,” a now 96-year-old Brooks returns as writer and producer, but aside from the aforementioned intro, he doesn’t appear onscreen.
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