Comedy Documentaries About Comedians and Their Craft

Non-fiction films and documentary series about the people who make comedy and the shows they made, for fans who want to see the work behind the laughs. A place here goes to a documentary that shows how jokes get written, tested, sold or survived, or what a life in comedy actually costs. Some are a riot; a few are more sad than funny, and the entries say which. Mockumentaries and dramatized biopics are left out, and so are stand-up specials, which show the finished act rather than the making of it. Classics sit alongside the recent wave of comedy portraits, from Mel Brooks to Norm Macdonald and SCTV. Start with Comedian if you want pure craft, or The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling if you want a whole life.