Comedy Central is an American cable channel owned by Paramount Global, which was responsible for airing the first five televised seasons of BattleBots.
Following the success of two events in 1999 held in Long Beach, California and Las Vegas, Nevada (the latter of which was pay-per-view), BattleBots co-founders Trey Roski and Greg Munson were offered an opportunity to televise their competition. It was originally titled Comedy Central Sports Presents: BattleBots, in line with other novelty sports programming that the network pushed with the turn of the new millennia. Although Roski and Munson intended to let comedy take a back seat in favor of competition, the network largely believed BattleBots would be a good fit for Comedy Central. In particular, then-Senior Vice President for the network Debbie Liebling was a keen advocate to pick up the show.
- "It was nothing like anything on television, which was always a big draw for me. It was really funny, and really nerdy. The Internet was not a big thing yet, so the nerd culture wasn't so celebrated. It was sports for the nerdy person, I guess. And we thought it would fit our demographic."
- — Debbie Liebling on the show's concept appealing to the Comedy Central audience[1]
Comedy Central's logo at the time of airing early-mid season 1.0 of BattleBots.
Comedy Central's logo at the time of airing late season 1.0 and 2.0-5.0 of BattleBots.
The first season was filmed in June 2000 and aired in August that year on Comedy Central. Although BattleBots was different to any other show on the network at the time, Comedy Central acquired comedian Bil Dwyer to present the show for all five seasons, originally joined by former NFL player Sean Salisbury, who was succeeded by Tim Green. The show proved to be a massive success for the network, spawning merchandise in the form of collectible toys, video games, books publications and more.
However, as time went on, the network's decision to cast models as opposed to people with legitimate interest in technology proved an issue.
- "They kept on throwing bigger and better hot babes at it. We gave them notes, but they rarely listened. I kept saying we need attractive geek girls, someone like Olivia Munn, good looking, but also funny and who could talk shop with these guys."
- — Greg Munson elaborates on the different directions he and Comedy Central wanted to pursue.
In September 2002, BattleBots was axed by Comedy Central ahead of the network being sold to Viacom, ahead of the intended November filming dates for a theoretical Season 6.0. Several weeks later, builders were contacted of the decision to put BattleBots competitions on hiatus for the time being. Later, the planned competition was canceled completely.
- "Much to our dismay, Comedy Central has decided NOT to renew its option for a Phase 6.0 taping at this time. Without this television funding from Comedy Central, BattleBots Inc. simply cannot afford to hold a live competition."
- — Part of the email sent to builders by Trey Roski and Greg Munson
Trey Roski and Greg Munson would go on to launch untelevised competitions aimed specifically at young people, led by Team Loki's Nola Garcia. Named BattleBots IQ, these events were held until 2012 and gave a start to several students who would later compete in the show's revival as it was picked up by ABC, and later, Discovery.
Televised Seasons[]
The following seasons of BattleBots have premiered on Comedy Central:
| Season | Comedy Central Premiere |
|---|---|
| Season 1.0 | 2000 |
| Season 2.0 | |
| Season 3.0 | 2001 |
| Season 4.0 | 2002 |
| Season 5.0 |
Outside BattleBots[]
Launched in April 1991, the channel launched as CTV: The Comedy Network, a merge of two previously separate services - Ha! and The Comedy Channel. Just two months later, this became Comedy Central in order to differentiate it from a Canadian network also known as CTV.
As its name suggests, the network has largely prioritized comedy in its programming, airing such sitcoms as How I Met Your Mother, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Office. Comedy Central has also been known for its animated comedy, having aired South Park since its debut in 1997, as well as Futurama and BoJack Horseman. Live action comedy featured too, with shows such as Key & Peele and The Chappelle Show focusing on sketch comedy. However, with BattleBots as an obvious example, Comedy Central have delved into alternative and variety content. From 1997 until 2008, the network even aired gameshows such as Win Ben Stein's Money and the US version of Distraction.
Trivia[]
- Comedy Central was officially launched on April Fools' Day.[2]
References[]
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