‘George Carlin’s American Dream’, An Insightful HBO Documentary About the Comedian’s Life and Career

George Carlin’s American Dream is an insightful, highly anticipated two-part HBO documentary by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio about the iconic (and incredibly prescient) comedian.

He dared to wake us up. George Carlin’s American Dream, a new 2-part documentary from Emmy winners Judd Apatow & Michael Bonfiglio premieres May 20 on HBO Max.

The documentary takes a look at Carlin’s very colorful life and career, specifically his beginnings in New York City, his uncanny ability to make himself relevant to the times over and over again, his incredibly understanding of American society, his incredibly forthright manner, his struggle to overcome addiction, and how he interacted with those in his personal life.

The documentary examines a cultural chameleon who is remembered as one of the most influential stand-up comics of all time. …The two-part documentary tracks Carlin’s rise to fame and opens an intimate window into Carlin’s personal life. 

A number of comedians are also interviewed to talk about Carlin’s effect on their work.

Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Patton Oswalt, Stephen Colbert, Bill Burr, Bette Midler, W. Kamau Bell, Sam Jay, Judy Gold and Jon Stewart are among those interviewed for the project.

The documentary premieres on HBO Max on May 20, 2022.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.