History of the World Part II: episodes, cast and everything we know about the Mel Brooks series

By Michael Balderston
last updated

40 years later, we’re getting History of the World Part II.

Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes and Ike Barinholtz in History of the World Part II
Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes and Ike Barinholtz in History of the World Part II (Image credit: Courtesy of Hulu)

Just as Mel Brooks promised, History of the World Part II is finally here (just 40 years after Part I). It was first announced back in late 2021 that History of the World Part II was being made into a TV series, a continuation of the historical parody that Brooks did with his 1981 movie, and featured some of his best jokes. Fans will remember that History of the World Part I ended with a teaser trailer for some of the things that may be covered in Part II.

Brooks is serving as a writer and executive producer on History of the World Part II, which is being described as a variety series with different sketches spoofing famous moments in history. Joining Brooks as part of the writing team are well-known comedians including Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen.

Find out everything you need to know about History of the World Part II right here, including episode synopses, who's going to appear and what historical moments are going to be skewered.

History of the World Part II release date

The final pair of episodes of History of the World Part II are now available to stream on Hulu. That means you can watch all eight episodes of the history parody whenever you want.

No word on when or where History of the World Part II is going to be released where Hulu is not available, like in the UK, but we'd assume that it would be on Disney Plus.

History of the World Part II cast

As of early January, there are four confirmed cast members for History of the World Part II — Mel Brooks, Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll and Ike Barinholtz.

Brooks is of course a comedy legend, the writer and director of classics like The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs and, obviously, History of the World Part I. He also appeared in many of these films as an actor. Though Brooks is 96 years old, he has remained active, mostly as a voice actor, as last year he provided voices for Little Demon and Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. It is unclear if Brooks is going to appear on screen in History of the World Part II.

Sykes, Kroll and Barinholtz are popular comedians in their own right. Sykes is an Emmy-winner whose recent credits include The Upshaws, The Other Two and The Good Fight. Kroll is one of the creatives behind the popular series Big Mouth, as well as appearing in Don't Worry Darling, Sausage Party and The Kroll Show. Barinholtz, meanwhile, is best known for acting in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Afterparty and The Mindy Project.

Beyond those four principals, here are other members of The History of the World Part II cast:

History of the World Part II episodes

Here are the synopses for the History of the World Part II episodes that are now available:

History of the World Part II episode 1, "I"
"General Grant heads out in search of a drink; after the Russian Tsar is executed, Shmuch Mudman and his family head to Moscow; Shakespeare's writers room; invention of fire; the real Kama Sutra."

History of the World Part II episode 2, "II"
"Judas betrays Jesus; Shirley Chisholm makes a big announcement; General Grant finds himself in trouble; and Marco Polo meets Kublai Khan."

History of the World Part II episode 3, "III"
"Alexander Graham Bell makes (and receives) a call; Shmuck Mudman gains access to the politburo; Sigmund Freud teaches psychoanalysis."

History of the World Part II episode 4, "IV"
"Jesus and Mary fall in love; Shmuck and Fanny Mudman change the course of Russian history; how the pyramids were built."

History of the World Part II episode 5, "V"
"Galileo is on TikTok; General Grant gets rescued; Shirley Chisholm meets George Wallace."

History of the World Part II episode 6, "VI"
"Amelia Earhart's fate revealed; Jesus and the Fab 13 try to record the last sermon; the Civil War ends; statues get removed."

History of the World Part II episode 7, "VII"
"Middle East peace (and lunch) in Oslo; Shirley Chisholm heads to the Watergate; Jesus and the band play their final concert."

History of the World Part II episode 8, "VIII"
"The Berlin Wall comes down; Christianity gets a makeover; Shirley Chisholm speaks at the DNC."

History of the World Part II plot

Here is the official synopsis for History of the World Part II from Hulu:

"After waiting over 40 years there is finally a sequel to the seminal Mel Brooks film, History of the World, Part I, with each episode featuring a variety of sketches that take us through different periods of human history."

Some of the early bits of info on eras of history we are going to see in History of the World Part II include Civil War general and US president Ulysses S. Grant, the Russian Revolution, Shakespeare's writer's room, Shirley Chissom, Marco Polo and Kublai Khan.

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Wanda Sykes in History of the World Part II
Wanda Sykes in History of the World Part II(Image credit: Tyler Golden/Hulu)

History of the World Part II trailer

After a teaser trailer, which you can also watch below, the official History of the World Part II trailer has arrived, with previews for some sketches that include Wanda Sykes as Harriet Tubman, Josh Gad as William Shakespeare, Seth Rogen as Noah and many, many more. Check it out right here:

How to watch History of the World Part II

US viewers who want to watch History of the World Part II are going to need to have a Hulu subscription. There are a few ways to procure that though. You can sign up for the Hulu standalone service (with or without ads); or you can sign up for Hulu with Live TV to get, as advertised, Hulu and live TV channels; or you can pair Hulu with Disney Plus and ESPN Plus for one discounted monthly price with the Disney Bundle.

UK and viewers elsewhere will have to wait to find out where History of the World Part II is going to be streaming, but in all likelihood, it’ll be on Disney Plus.

If you want to watch History of the World Part I, that is available to rent through digital on-demand.

Michael Balderston
Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.