The Who Was? Show
The Who Was? Show is a sketch comedy and history program which ran for one season on Netflix, in which Andy Daly's character, Ron, interacts with a group of teenagers, interspersed with historical vignettes and narrated by H. Jon Benjamin. The show is based on the Who Was...? book series, published since 2002, and premiered on May 11, 2018.[2] The show was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Series in 2019. One of the actors on the show, Zach Timson, confirmed that the show was canceled after one season on his TikTok page.
The Who Was? Show | |
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Genre | Comedy Sketch comedy Nonfiction[1] Roleplay |
Directed by | Dan Beers |
Starring | Haley Tju Adam Hochstetter Kirrilee Berger Lilla Crawford Bentley Green Zach Timson Andy Daly |
Narrated by | H. Jon Benjamin |
Opening theme | The Who Was? Show Theme Song |
Ending theme | The Who Was? Show Theme Song (Instrumental) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer | Brian Clark |
Producers | Mark DiCristofaro William Lapp Aaron Levine Jon Sheflin Jason Stiff Louis Waxman Bob Higgins Rich Korson Jay Peterson Francesco Sedita |
Cinematography | Russell Swanson |
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Production companies | Tap That Maple Penguin Random House Matador Content FremantleMedia Kids & Family |
Release | |
Original network | Netflix |
Original release | May 11, 2018 |
Characters
- Andy Daly – Portrayed Ron, the fictional C.E.O. of the show
- Kirrilee Berger – Portrayed:
- Joan of Arc
- Amelia Earhart
- Wilbur Wright
- Many other minor characters
- Lilla Crawford – Portrayed:
- William Shakespeare
- Marie Antoinette
- Susan B. Anthony
- Orville Wright
- Queen Elizabeth I
- Christopher Columbus (Guest)
- Many other minor characters
- Bentley Green – Portrayed:
- Tutankhamun
- Louis Armstrong
- George Washington
- George Washington Carver
- Many other minor characters
- Adam Hochstetter – Portrayed:
- Benjamin Franklin
- Blackbeard
- Galileo
- Julius Caesar
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Guest)
- Many other minor characters
- Zach Timson – Portrayed:
- Albert Einstein
- Isaac Newton
- Harry Houdini
- Marco Polo
- Pablo Picasso
- Thomas Jefferson (Guest)
- Henry VIII (Guest)
- Alexander the Great (Guest)
- Many other minor characters
- Haley Tju – Portrayed:
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Sacagawea
- Frida Kahlo
- Marie Curie
- Genghis Khan
- Many other minor characters
- Dallas Liu – Portrayed:
- Bruce Lee (Dallas Liu)
- (Appeared throughout the first season and Ron, as a running gag, insisted he be on the show, calling him "Brucie". He finally got to be in the season finale to fight Julius Caesar.)
- Bruce Lee (Dallas Liu)
- John Hodgman-Portrayed:
- The Explanationator
- (An animated superhero character who appeared in episodes 2, 8, and 11.)
- The Explanationator
- Brian McCann
- Monsieur Tidbits
- (An animated French dog who appeared in episodes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 13.)
- Princess Tutbits
- (An animated Egyptian sphinx (and relative of Monsieur Tidbits) who appeared in episode 3.)
- Monsieur Tidbits
Episodes
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
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1 | "Gandhi & Benjamin Franklin" | Stoney Sharp, Jared Lapidus & Daniel Beers | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark & Mark McAdam | May 11, 2018 | |
Guest appearance by Adam Pally as Who Was Your Life Host Sketches:
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2 | "Albert Einstein & Joan of Arc" | Daniel Beers, Stoney Sharp & Jared Lapidus | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark, Mark McAdam & Aparna Nancherla | May 11, 2018 | |
Sketches: | |||||
3 | "William Shakespeare & King Tut" | Stoney Sharp, Jared Lapidus & Daniel Beers | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark & Mark McAdam | May 11, 2018 | |
Sketches:
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4 | "Isaac Newton & Amelia Earhart" | Stoney Sharp, Jared Lapidus & Daniel Beers | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark, Mark McAdam & Aparna Nancherla | May 11, 2018 | |
Guest appearance by Ellie Kemper as herself/female narrator Sketches:
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5 | "Marie Antoinette & Louis Armstrong" | Stoney Sharp, Jared Lapidus & Daniel Beers | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark & Mark McAdam | May 11, 2018 | |
Sketches:
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6 | "Sacagawea & Blackbeard (Edward Teach)" | Stoney Sharp, Jared Lapidus & Daniel Beers | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark & Mark McAdam | May 11, 2018 | |
Guest appearance by Jordan Klepper as Job Coach – Sketches:
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7 | "Susan B. Anthony & Frida Kahlo" | Stoney Sharp, Jared Lapidus & Daniel Beers | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark, Mark McAdam, Tami Sagher & Elliott Kalan | May 11, 2018 | |
Sketches:
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8 | "Marie Curie & Harry Houdini" | Jared Lapidus & Daniel Beers | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark & Mark McAdam | May 11, 2018 | |
Sketches:
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9 | "George Washington & Marco Polo" | Stoney Sharp, Jared Lapidus & Daniel Beers | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark, Mark McAdam & Aparna Nancherla | May 11, 2018 | |
Guest appearance by Sarah Vowell as herself Sketches:
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10 | "Genghis Khan & George Washington Carver" | Stoney Sharp, Jared Lapidus & Daniel Beers | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark & Mark McAdam | May 11, 2018 | |
Sketches:
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11 | "Pablo Picasso & The Wright Brothers" | Jared Lapidus & Daniel Beers | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark & Mark McAdam | May 11, 2018 | |
Guest appearance by Jane Krakowski as herself (uncredited) Sketches:
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12 | "Galileo & Queen Elizabeth" | Jared Lapidus, Daniel Beers & Stoney Sharp | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark & Mark McAdam | May 11, 2018 | |
Guest appearance by Mark Cuban as himself Sketches:
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13 | "Julius Caesar & Bruce Lee" | Daniel Beers, Jared Lapidus & Paul Pennolino | Brian McCann, Eric Gilliland, Elliott Kalan, Delaney Yeager, Brian Clark & Mark McAdam | May 11, 2018 | |
Guest appearance by John Oliver as himself Sketches:
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References
- The Majority of the show is nonfiction, with a few historical inaccuracies here and there
- Flores, Terry (May 11, 2018). "Comedy Dream Team Plays With History in New Netflix Kids & Family Series 'The Who Was? Show'". Variety. Retrieved December 31, 2018.