If a certain segment of the population grew up getting their world news from Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update or The Daily Show, those same people could probably also use some edification when it comes to historical events. Luckily for them they can forego a stuffy classroom and dig right into Derek Waters’ hilarious educational comedy show Drunk History. The series evolved from a Funny or Die web series into a full-fledged Comedy Central show which began airing in 2013 and ran for six seasons, ultimately falling victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series followed a strict formula every episode in which Waters would recruit one of his comedian friends to get plastered to recount a story that fit into the episode’s theme. These conversations would be recorded and reenacted by other notable comedians and performers who would lip synch to the drunken dialogue. Although drunk, the information that the subjects relayed was thoroughly fact-checked and deemed accurate. You can actually use this as an education tool!
There is not much to dissect when it comes to the particulars throughout the seasons except the fact that Waters had a deep bench of talented people interested in participating in the show. From week to week you could tune into to see people like frequent storyteller Jen Kirkman, Kyle Kinane, Jenny Slate, Natasha Leggero, Paget Brewster, Bob Odenkirk and many more names big and small show up to lose track of reality and say some frankly ridiculous things between stories. Being around drunk people can be a very annoying experience, but watching them in a safe environment with their comedian friend can be a very funny time. If the talent of the storytellers was not impressive enough, the guests reenacting these situations are out of this world. Do you want to see Tessa Thompson as Eartha Kitt? Of course you do! Want to see Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, Elijah Wood and Evan Rachel Wood all in the same episode about the creation of the Frankenstein story? Go check out the sixth season premiere! There are more surprising names than I could possibly relay, but trust me when I say this series delivers on the star power.
Drunk History is the rare comedy show that you can walk away from feeling a little bit better knowing you have increased your knowledge in a real way. Whether you are turning in to see the drunken antics or really into the historical reenactments, this series will keep you well supplied with hilarious moments that will stick with you for the longest time. I cannot recommend it more highly.
Video Quality
Drunk History comes to DVD with a 480p transfer that is steady and pleasing for the format. This DVD offers up an impressive amount of detail from the various settings and clothing. Compression artifacts are present without being too overwhelming. Black levels are decent with only a minimal amount of blocking. Colors are nice and fairly vibrant, especially with the series primarily taking place in brightly lit settings. The outfits on the show offer the most impressive color palette with hues that practically leap off the screen. Skin tones look natural, and there are some decent facial details present. This presentation is good enough for DVD, but this would have made for an excellent looking Blu-Ray.
Audio Quality
The DVD comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio track that sounds pretty great. The series is mostly dialogue driven with very little in the way of action to give the track any overwhelming sign of life. Dialogue is mixed well and comes through crystal clear without ever being stepped on by any music or sound effects. Directionality is rendered accurately so that sounds originate from all the natural spots. Environmental sounds when the show heads to a public location such as a bar add a dynamic touch to the proceedings. Although there is not constant activity in the track, it presents the series exactly as it was intended and that is really all you can ask. The disc also includes optional English subtitles.
Special Features
Season One
- Drunk Outtakes – Chris Romano: Seven minutes of Chris apologizing for getting too drunk, flubbing his stories, getting emotional and more.
- Sober Reveal – Jen Kirkman: Nearly fourteen minutes of a sober Jen Kirkman offering commentary with Waters over her first time telling a story on the show including the bemoaning of censoring, the appearance of a glow up between her episodes and more that is really funny.
Season Two
- Montgomery, AL
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- Allan McLeod – Drunk Outtakes: Two-and-a-half minutes of McLeod being drunk that was not shown on the show.
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- Ben “Stay Tuned”: Two-and-a-half minutes of a man setting up the return of the show, and it does not go well.
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- Deleted Scene: A 30-second deleted scene of Hitler getting excited about being white.
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- Morgan Murphy “And, Uh…”: A minute-and-a-half compilation of Murphy losing her place during filming.
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- Morgan Murphy – Ball Boxer: Two-and-a-half minutes of Murphy hitting Derek in the nuts.
- New York
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- A Tour Of NYC with Gavin McInnes: A four-minute humorous tour of a wintery NYC with writer Gavin McInnes.
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- JD Ryznar – Bath Time: A minute-long piece which finds Ryznar getting into a bathtub with Waters.
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- JD Ryznar – Drunk History Spokesman: A minute-and-a-half compilation of Ryznar trying to promote the show while drunk.
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- Fancy Ray: A two-minute look at a really cool dog.
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- Deleted Scenes: Two minutes of unused material featuring stories about butter and urinating.
- American Music
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- Ben Folds: A minute-long story from musician Ben Folds.
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- Colton Dunn – Beatboxer: A minute-long “freestyle rap” from Dunn.
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- David Wain – Webby Awards: A 30-second scene of Wain showing off his Webby Award.
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- David Wain – Emmy Awards: A 30-second scene of Wain showing off his Emmy Award.
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- David Wain – Guitar Smash: A minute-long scene of Wain getting a little too hardcore.
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- Eric Edelstein – Advice From Johnny Cash: A 30-second scene showcasing advice from the Man in Black.
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- Deleted Scenes – Alan Freed: A minute-long look at Alan Freed inadvertently inciting a riot.
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- Deleted Scenes – Kristofferson: A minute-long look at Kris Kristofferson trying to work with Johnny Cash.
- Baltimore
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- Dinner With The Waters’: A five-minute piece that showcases a typical family dinner at the Waters’ residence with some fun background information on Derek.
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- Justin Waters – Was Poe Poisoned?: A minute-long conversation between Derek and his brother.
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- Duncan Trussell – Drunk Outtakes: Four minutes of unused material from Duncan’s drunken time.
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- Duncan Trussell – Your Dad Is Not Your Dad: Three minutes of Duncan trying to convince Derek that his father is not his father.
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- Deleted Scenes: Two minutes of unused material including the psychological torture of Francis Scott Key.
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- Sober Reveal – Duncan Trussell: A thirteen-minute piece in which a sober Duncan Trussell watches his Drunk History and offers a reaction.
- Charleston
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- Seth Weitberg – A History of Violence: A minute-long look at Weitberg acting out a story for Waters.
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- Extended Goat: A four-minute extended journey with the man known as Goat.
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- Mark Gagliardi – Ups and Downs of Jager-Bombs: Two minutes of footage showing the pros and cons of Jager-Bombs.
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- Deal With It: A 30-second clip of Waters looking really cool with Goat.
- Hollywood
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- Steve Berg – Rosebud: A minute-long look at Berg talking about Citizen Kane.
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- Derek Miller – Royal Scotch: A 30-second look at a special beverage.
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- Drew Droege – Different Strokes: A minute-long story about Nancy Reagan possibly appearing on an episode of Diff’rent Strokes.
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- Deleted Scenes: Three minutes of unused material including the dynamics between the Reagans.
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- Sober Reveal – Steve Berg: A ten-minute piece in which a sober Steve Berg watches his Drunk History and offers a reaction.
- Hawaii
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- Aloha Spirit: A minute-long look at the true meaning of “Aloha”.
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- Extended Scenes: Three minutes of unused material including an explanation of the concept of Houon.
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- Jonah Ray – Neil Mahoney: A two-minute conversation with Ray and Derek discussing one of their good friends.
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- Jonah Ray – Pidgeon: An eleven-minute clip of Ray discussing his childhood experiences growing up in Hawaii.
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- Sober Reveal – Phil Hendrie: A ten-minute piece in which a sober Phil Hendrie watches his Drunk History and offers a reaction.
- Philadelphia
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- Chip Coffey – Searching For Benedict: A two-minute conversation about the ghost of Benedict Arnold.
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- Nick Rutherford – Even Or Odd: A minute-and-a-half piece with a drinking game.
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- Nick Rutherford – There’s A Sword?: A two-minute piece in which Rutherford talks to his girlfriend on speaker phone and goes on a quest.
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- Deleted Scenes: Five minutes of unused material including a story about Benedict Arnold getting overlooked for a promotion.
- Sports Heroes
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- Preston Flagg – What Time Is It?: A minute-long piece in which Flagg is concerned about the time of day.
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- Matt Jones – Drunk Outtakes: Two minutes of unused material from Jones’ drunken time.
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- Terrell Suggs – Extended Cut: A longer two-minute piece with the pro-athlete.
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- Preston Flagg – Backyard Decathlon: A two-minute attempt at some backyard shenanigans.
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- Deleted Scenes: Three minutes of unused material including a story about the development of a baseball technique.
- First Ladies
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- Jen Kirkman – Drunk Outtakes: Eight minutes of unused material from Kirkman’s drunken time.
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- Molly Mcaleer – Molly Loves Mustard: A minute-long look at mustard obsession.
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- Edith Wilson – Deleted Scenes: Two minutes of unused material including a story about the implementation of rationing.
Season Three
- New Jersey
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- Wrestling: A nearly three-minute piece in which Derek attends a wrestling school.
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- Tits Listening: A minute-long piece with Jenny Slate discussing her listening habits.
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- Mozzarella Stick From Hell: A minute-long piece in which Jenny Slate tells a story about choking on a mozzarella stick.
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- Uno Showdown: A two-minute piece in which Waters faces Mark Proksch in an epic Uno match.
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- Deleted Scenes: Nearly two minutes of unused material including a story about a “balloon force.”
- Miami
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- President’s Day: A minute-long piece in which Dan Harmon does a Rick & Morty-esque fake commercial for a President’s Day sale.
- New Orleans
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- Dick Apron: A two-minute piece that shows off a risquee apron.
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- NOLA Brewing: A nearly three-minute video in which Derek passes off hosting duties to his brother.
- Cleveland
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- Words Are Hard: A three-minute video in which one of our drunken storytellers has issues pronouncing certain
- Games
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- Deleted Scene: A minute-long unused scene in which the pronunciation of “crayon” is debated with Lauren Lapkus.
- Journalism
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- Newz Boyz: A 30-second piece that is a music video for the Newsies.
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- Sneezing: A four-minute piece in which Jen Kirkman has a sneezing fit.
- Los Angeles
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- Deleted Scenes: Nearly two minutes of unused material including a story about newspapers reporting on a shooting.
- New Mexico
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- The Roundhouse: A nearly two-minute piece in which Fortune Feimster discusses what it would be like if she was a prostitute in the olden days.
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- Road Trip: A minute-long video in which one of our drunken storytellers tells a story about when he almost died in the desert.
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- Derek The Cobbler: A minute-long piece in which Derek mends one of his friend’s shoes.
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- Conspiracy Theories: A three-minute piece in which some conspiracy theories are shared and debated.
- Las Vegas
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- Chuckles: A minute-long piece in which Paul F. Tompkins cannot stop giggling.
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- Romano Rambling: A nearly four-minute drunken rambling session from Chris Romano.
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- Deleted Scenes: Four minutes of unused material including a story about building a town along a railroad.
- Space
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- Wolves and Bears: A minute-long story from Kyle Kinane that is hilarious.
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- Space: A nearly four-minute piece in which Kinane delves into what it would be like to go into space.
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- Crayons: A 30-second reignition of the “crayon” debate this time with Kinane.
Season Four
- Election Special: A full-length episode in which Derek Waters heads to Daytona, Florida with comedian Steve Berg to introduce some stories concerning pivotal elections from history. This is up to the same hilarious quality as a typical episode.
- Extended and Deleted Scenes: There are many hilarious moments in these scenes, but nothing tops Liev Schreiber literally juggling dicks.
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- Great Escapes (0:42)
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- Legends (0:28)
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- Bar Fights (7:35)
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- The Roosevelts (1:21)
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- Scoundrels (0:48)
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- Siblings (3:33)
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- Landmarks (0:39)
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- Hamilton (2:56)
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- Shit Shows (4:41)
Season Five
There are no special features provided for this season.
Season Six
There are no special features provided for this season.
Final Thoughts
Drunk History is a very special show that offers deep belly laughs while feeding your knowledge in a substantial way. The subjects that host Derek Waters recruits to get wasted and tell these stories are so much fun to watch, but the level of talent he gets to contribute to this ridiculous project via reenactments is frankly mind boggling. This is a series that never wanes in quality so you can enjoy this series from the first episode to the last. Paramount Home Entertainment and Comedy Central have released a complete series DVD set that has a decent A/V presentation and a substantial number of supplemental features. If you are a fan of the show, this is the best way to own it via physical media. Recommended
Drunk History: The Complete Series is currently available to purchase on DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the DVD.
Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
