Bravo (Wed., Dec. 4, 8 p.m. ET)
Show of the week
[STARS 1]
The clean-cut Smothers Brothers weren't expected to be terribly controversial when CBS gave them a variety show in 1967. But Tom and Dick and their creative team wound up disturbing network censors—and delighting younger viewers—with pointed humor on Vietnam and other combustible subjects.
This special takes a clear-eyed look at the stormy two-year run of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Tom and Dick and their former writers (including Rob Reiner) relive the good fight for artistic freedom while onetime CBS higher-ups recall the headaches in the executive suites. And clips show the series at its preachy worst as well as its cheeky best.
BOTTOM LINE: Choice slice of the '60s
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