Politically Incorrect was a late-night, half-hour political talk show hosted by Bill Maher that ran from 1993 to 2002. It premiered on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1996, and later on ABC in 1997, which cancelled it in 2002. In some episodes Maher would interview a single guest, but in most episodes four celebrity guests formed a panel that would engage in discussion and debate in front of a studio audience on a topic initiated by Maher, usually provoked by a news item. The show was pioneering in mixing political figures and entertainers. Maher tried to air all points of view, especially controversial ones. Comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humour with an intent to provoke[[ laughter in general). ... Debate is a formalized system of (usually) logical argument. ... William Bill Maher, Jr. ... Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel in the United States and, as of October 19, 2006, in Poland[1], of January 15, 2007 in Germany[2], of April 30, 2007 in the Netherlands[3] and in Italy of May 1. ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1993. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... This is a list of television-related events in 2002. ... A talk show (U.S.) or chat show (Brit. ... William Bill Maher, Jr. ... Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel in the United States and, as of October 19, 2006, in Poland[1], of January 15, 2007 in Germany[2], of April 30, 2007 in the Netherlands[3] and in Italy of May 1. ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

The show first originated from New York City, but soon moved to Los Angeles to make it easier to get "stars" as guests. It was taped at CBS Television City, where it remained even after its move to ABC. The first episode featured comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Howard Stern sidekick Robin Quivers, GOP strategist Ed Rollins, and comedian Larry Miller. The show won a 2000 Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series, and was nominated for seventeen others, including one for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series every year from 1995 to 2002, and one in 1997 for Maher in the category of Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program. The show also won two Cable Ace Awards in 1995 and 1996 for Talk Show Series, and was nominated for a third in 1997. It was also nominated for two Writers Guild of America awards for best Comedy/Variety series in 2001 and 2002. [1] Nickname: Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1625 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area  - City  468. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... CBS Television City is a television studio located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles West Side at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of Beverly and Fairfax Avenue. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... For the former personal attorney and partner of Anna Nicole Smith, see Howard K. Stern. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... Ed Rollins is an experienced Republican campaign consultant and advisor. ... Larry Miller is the name of several notable people: Larry Miller, American comedian and actor. ... An Emmy Award. ... The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and television industries in the United States. ...

The show’s writers included Scott Carter, Al Franken, Arianna Huffington, Chris Kelly, and Chris Rock. Alan Stuart Al Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an Emmy Award–winning American comedian, actor, author, screenwriter, political commentator, radio host and, recently, politician. ... Arianna Huffington talks to the media while campaigning for governor of California at UC Berkeley on September 11, 2003. ... Christopher Julius Rock III[1] (born February 7, 1965)[2] is an Emmy and Grammy Award-winning American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. ...

Controversy and cancellation

The demise of the show came after Maher's September 17th comment about the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center: A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... This article is about the former World Trade Center (Twin Towers) in New York City. ...

"We have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly. Stupid maybe, but not cowardly."

A firestorm of controversy erupted following his statement, despite his almost immediate apology. Maher asserted that he had been criticizing U.S. military policy, not American soldiers, and pointed out that whether the attacks were cowardly was irrelevant to whether they were morally right or wrong. Many found his remarks deplorable nonetheless, and the controversy was considered to be a key element contributing to the show's cancellation. A Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile of the Luftwaffe A cruise missile is a guided missile which uses a lifting wing and most often a jet propulsion system to allow sustained flight. ...

Maher has been quoted as saying the show's cancellation came about because the politically conservative Walt Disney Corporation, which owns ABC, was offended by his criticisms of President George W. Bush, and pulled the show despite its strong ratings. [2] Maher argued that he, of all people, couldn't be considered insensitive to the September 11 attacks. Conservative commentator Barbara Olson was a frequent guest on the show; she was on her way to a taping of it aboard American Airlines Flight 77 when she was killed. For an entire week afterwards, Maher left one guest chair empty in her honor. [3] Alternate meanings: Disney (disambiguation) The Walt Disney Company (also known as Disney Enterprises, Inc. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Barbara Olson Barbara Olson (December 27, 1955 – September 11, 2001) was a conservative American television commentator who worked for FOX News, CNN and several other outlets. ... Security camera image showing American Airlines Flight 77 (far right, just above far right stone block) just before impact. ...

Maher now hosts the hour-long program Real Time with Bill Maher, which follows a similar format, but which, because it airs on HBO, features no censorship of language or commercial breaks (unlike network programming, the HBO show is immune from the influence of sponsors, and guests have freedom of speech). Real Time with Bill Maher is a talk show that airs weekly on HBO, hosted by comedian and political satirist Bill Maher. ... HBO (Home Box Office) is an American premium cable television network. ...

See Also

List of late night network TV programs || There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

External links and sources

• Real Time with Bill Maher Official Site