'Make 'em Laugh' is a taste of century worth of comedy

"It felt really important to me that this series not be structured chronologically because comedy is about surprise," Kantor said.

Essentially, "Make 'Em Laugh" is six hours of funny stuff, artfully arranged but, again, not comprehensive.

And it's funny, not overly intellectual.

"I also don't want to analyze comedy," Kantor said. "As E.B. White famously said, 'Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested, and the frog dies.' "

And there's an undeniable, universal appeal to the subject of funny.

"I've just never met anyone who doesn't enjoy comedy," Kantor said.

LEARNING TO READ: "Make 'Em Laugh" is hosted by Billy Crystal and narrated by Amy Sedaris. And, while Sedaris is undeniably funny, she said she wasn't exactly the logical choice.

"I'm a terrible reader, but I love PBS. It's all I really watch," she said. "And I wanted to learn about all this.

"And then Michael (Kantor) directed me. There were so many words I couldn't even pronounce. And then he'd just give me line readings. You directed everything out of my mouth. Remember?"

"When Amy couldn't pronounce a word, she'd scream, 'Fitch!'" Kantor said. "But she did an amazing job. I think she brings a unique style that's not only insightful in terms of the material once she understood where the story was going, but she has her own unique sensibility, her own feeling, and you just feel really comfortable listening to her.

"Oh, that's nice. He's like the miracle worker," Sedaris said. "He taught me how to read. PBS. That's where I learned to read."

Today on TV

Women's college basketball (5:30 p.m. The mtn.): BYU at TCU

NCIS (7 p.m., Ch. 2): Ducky is stabbed.

American Idol (7 p.m., Ch. 13): Two-hour season premiere.

90210 (7 p.m., Ch. 30): Ethan and Annie sneak off together.

The Mentalist (8 p.m., Ch. 2): A high-school boy who antagonized the local witch is killed.

Scrubs (8 and 8:30 p.m., Ch. 4): The gang wants to get rid of Dr. Maddux (Courteney Cox); sparks are reignited between J.D. and Elliot.

Privileged (8 pm., Ch. 30): Megan's sister, Lily, is in jail.

Men's college basketball (8 p.m., The mtn): TCU at BYU

Leverage (8 and 10 p.m., TNT): The team goes undercover as wedding planners.

Without a Trace (9:01 p.m., Ch. 2): An undercover cop disappears.

Law & Order: SVU (9 p.m., Ch. 5): Benson goes undercover as a madam.

E-mail: pierce@desnews.com