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Pioneers Of Primetime
SPECIAL: PBS, Wednesday 11/9 at 8:00p (60 minutes)


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This PBS special examines the roots of television comedy through clips and interviews with Milton Berle, Red Skelton, Sid Caesar, Bob Hope, Steve Allen, Sammy Davis Jr., Buddy Ebsen and more.

GENRE(S):	Comedy, Documentary
FIRST AIR DATE:	November 9, 2005

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Hollywood Reporter Ray Richmond

Something of a definitive chronicle of the era.

USA Today Robert Bianco

The clips from Your Show of Shows and Burns and Allen alone are enough to make Pioneers a good viewing choice. It just isn't particularly good at documenting TV's history, something that really should be done before much more time passes.

New York Daily News David Hinckley

The subject is worthy, the approach well-intentioned - but there are too many exclusions and errors to make this anything more than a passable primer.

Baltimore Sun David Zurawik

While seeing the faces and hearing the voices of such show biz giants is always a pleasure, overall, Pioneers is seriously flawed.

San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum

The hour is awfully disjointed, and the pacing is sluggish to the point "Pioneers" seems longer than its one-hour running time.

Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker

Rarely has such a terrific topic been so thoroughly mangled.

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Pioneers Of Primetime SPECIAL: PBS, Wednesday 11/9 at 8:00p (60 minutes)

Pioneers Of Primetime
SPECIAL: PBS, Wednesday 11/9 at 8:00p (60 minutes)