Prime Video's three-part docuseries Phat Tuesdays: The Era of Hip Hop Comedy premieres Friday. The series, which explores the influential '90s comedy show Phat Tuesdays at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, features the stories of the show's comedic stars, including Black trans comedian Flame Monroe.
In an exclusive clip, Monroe tells viewers there weren't many trans comedians when she started out. However, the show's host gave her a platform for her comedy.
"All I wanted out of the fellow comedy gang was to be treated like a fellow comic," Monroe says. "Phat Tuesdays gave opportunities to everybody."
The docuseries is hosted by original Phat Tuesdays host Guy Torry (American History X, Life), and features Tiffany Haddish, Anthony Anderson, Steve Harvey, Kym Whitley, and more.
Torry also serves as the show's executive producer with and Academy Award-nominated producer Reginald Hudlin (The Black Godfather, Marshall, Django Unchained, House Party). Hudlin also directs the three-episode docuseries.
What started as an experiment in '90s Los Angeles turned into a must-see, hilarious experience, elevating Black voices in the stand-up world.
"I can't wait for the world to experience the story of Phat Tuesdays," Torry said in a news release. "It was more than a night of laughter -- it was a movement. Phat Tuesdays was Black, bold, and brilliant. It was the best damn comedy show, period!"
"Against all odds, Guy Torry created a venue where the next generation of comedy superstars could launch their careers, and turned the lamest night of the week into the hottest, with the sexiest superstars in Hollywood showing up to laugh till they cried," said Hudlin. "Phat Tuesdays tells that story and much more. It's the funniest people on Earth explaining comedy from every perspective as an art form, as a business, and as a force for social change."
The docuseries has exclusive interviews with the comics and celebrities who performed onstage or were in the audience. It also includes never-before-seen footage of legendary comedy sets. From icons to ex-cons, the series shows how the comedy show brought together a variety of people to share the joy of laughter.
"We are proud to celebrate the legacy of Phat Tuesdays and shine the spotlight on Guy Torry for his trailblazing efforts to give Black comedians their turn onstage in '90s Hollywood," said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon Studios. "The stories and first-person accounts that Reggie Hudlin and Guy help showcase in this docuseries are not only hilarious and entertaining, but powerful as well, and celebrate how the Black community came together to evolve comedy and entertainment."
Phat Tuesdays is produced by Amazon Studios, Original Productions, Phat Tuesday Productions, and Grammnet Productions.
Watch the clip below and check the series out starting February 4.
