Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam — Season 1, Episode 1 (premiere)

Martin Lawrence struts out to Kid Capri’s turntables, hyping up a loud, responsive audience for the inaugural broadcast of Russell Simmons’s late-night HBO series. The format is an immediate departure from the polite, brick-wall comedy club broadcasts of the era. Four comics get a few minutes each to make an impression without the constraints of network censors. The crowd dictates the energy in the room, vocally backing up the performers or letting them know when a premise is missing the mark.

Filmed at the Wilshire Theater in Los Angeles and aired in the summer of 1992, the debut lineup leans heavily on rising club talent. Steve White, then appearing in a string of Spike Lee movies including Malcolm X, opens the half-hour. He is followed by Derrick Fox and Yvette Wilson. Joe Torry closes the showcase; his aggressive, crowd-focused set resonated well enough that he eventually succeeded Lawrence as the program’s primary host.