‘Caroline’s Comedy Hour’ Returns With Scott Koondel’s Sox Entertainment

Caroline’s Comedy Hour is coming back. Scott Koondel’s Sox Entertainment has acquired global rights to Caroline’s Comedy Hour. The televised standup program originally ran from 1989 to 1996 on the A&E Network. The show featured standup comedy filmed at the iconic comedy club Carolines on Broadway in New York.

Koondel formally served as CBS’s Chief Content and Licensing Officer and is currently an executive producer of Judy Justice. He is set to produce new installments of the show to be shopped alongside the original episodes. He has been retained to distribute the new and old episodes by Carolines’ owner Caroline Hirsch. Koondel hopes to sell the package as a lower-cost comedy programming alternative for cable networks and streamers.

“Streamers and basic cable networks seeking ad-friendly content will gain the ability to acquire rights, offer non-obtrusive spots and monetize performances by top-notch standup comics – something that, until now, has been out of their reach,” Koondel said.

The original series was hosted by Carol Leifer, Colin Quinn and Rich Jeni. The show featured comedy from an impressive list of standups, including Marc Maron, Bill Hicks, Joy Behar, Jon Stewart, Mario Cantone, Ray Romano, Jeff Foxworthy, Lewis Black, George Lopez, Kevin James, Norm MacDonald, Caroline Rhea, Jay Mohr, Gilbert Gottfried, Darrell Hammond, Wanda Sykes, Jeff Dunham, Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt and Jim Gaffigan.

The new show will also include acts from the New York Comedy Festival, which was created by Hirsch and is produced by Carolines On Broadway. This year’s festival is set to run from November 7-13 and showcase over 200 comedians across over 100 shows. Venues hosting shows include Beacon Theatre, Carolines on Broadway, Madison Square Garden and Town Hall.

“The appetite for live comedy has never been stronger coming out of Covid,” Hirsch said. “I felt the time is right during our 40th-anniversary celebration to bring back these incredible acts for new generations to enjoy while also putting the spotlight on today’s rising talent with new original episodes.”