A daily chronicle of creativity in film, TV, music, arts, and entertainment, produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from November 2014 – March 2020. Host John Horn leads the conversation, accompanied by the nation's most plugged-in cultural journalists.
Among the off-beat comedies that run on Adult Swim -- the late night comedy block on cable TV’s Cartoon Network -- is Childrens Hospital (Note: there is no apostrophe in Childrens). Recently renewed for a seventh season and nominated for an Emmy in the short-Format Live-Action category, the show’s a parody of medical dramas like “ER,” “House” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Their Emmy-nominated episode (posted below) is directed by Lake Bell (an upcoming guest on The Frame) and a parody of "Cyrano De Bergerac."
The show was created by Rob Corddry after he left his post as a correspondent on The Daily Show. On "Childrens Hospital" he plays a doctor of the "clown race"
"Childrens Hospital" began as a web series during the 2008 writers' strike. It was then picked up for television by Adult Swim who offered them the chance to make the episodes longer-- like traditional sit-coms-- but Corddry said they chose to keep it short.
I think they'd still probably allow us to do it as a 30-minute version if we wanted to but I felt like this type of comedy is best served in the short form because I might get tired of it after about 15 minutes.
Fellow executive producer David Wain -- who has worked with Corddry from the start-- said that there's actually a benefit to them creatively of working in the shorter form.
I think the 11 minute restriction has been the most incredible incubator of creativity. We've learned over the years just how little it takes to express a story point and a joke. And to squeeze what is normally an hour-long-- three, four or five storylines-- into this 11 minute time frame is a really fun puzzle for us.
"Childrens Hospital" is up for the Emmy in the Short Form Live Action category this year-- it's an award they've won in the past.
You can view all episodes of "Childrens Hospital" here.