‘The Comedy Store’ Spotlights Comic Legends Launched Over 47 Years in the Club (VIDEO)

Showtime’s upcoming docuseries, The Comedy Store, chronicles the evolution of comedy from within the walls of the legendary club. The five-part series premieres on Sunday, October 4.

The Comedy Store brings to life the legends, heartbreak and history created at the iconic club on the Sunset Strip, weaving never-seen-before footage of trailblazers like Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison and Freddie Prinze together with interviews with David Letterman, Jay Leno, Chris Rock, Andrew Dice Clay, Joe Rogen, Whitney Cummings, Jimmy Walker, Michael Keaton, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Marc Maron, Damon Wayans, Bill Burr, Byron Allen and many more as they reflect on the ups and downs of The Store’s textured history.

Andrew Santino (Troy Conrad/Courtesy of SHOWTIME)

As the series director, executive producer and a Comedy Store alum, former stand-up comic Mike Binder spotlights one of pop culture’s great laboratories that forever changed comedy and, for many, provided a launching pad to stardom in film and television. Legions of legendary performers cut their teeth doing stand-up at The Store on Sunset while being mentored by the tough but nurturing gatekeeper Mitzi Shore.

Loved by most, hated by some, but always garnering their respect, Shore, says Binder “…changed the way comedy was presented. The Store is her legacy. It’s the epicenter of stand-up comedy in the world.”

The Comedy Store, Premiere, Sunday, October 4, 10/9c, SHOWTIME