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A new documentary from CNN offers an unvarnished look at one of the most polarizing figures in comedy: Chevy Chase. “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not” premieres on CNN on Thursday, Jan. 1.
Cable-cutters can stream the documentary online through a variety of Live TV streamers with access to CNN, such as DirecTV, Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV.
Directed by Marina Zenovich, the CNN Films project arrives amid renewed scrutiny of Chase’s career and conduct, including his fraught exits “from Saturday Night Live” and “Community,” as well as personal health-related revelations, including that he was put into a coma for eight days during the pandemic after experiencing heart failure. The film — which traces Chase’s rise as a foundational figure of modern TV — includes interviews with dozens of the 82 year-old comedian’s personal and professional connections such as his daughter Caley Chase and “Community” creator Jay Chandrasekhar, who reveals in the doc that he was on set the night that Chase got fired.
The documentary is highly anticipated not only because of its long-awaited Hollywood revelations but also because Chase’s infamous attitude made the idea of him collaborating with a director — and letting go of all editorial control — feel like an impossibility. Until Zenovich came along.
“I’d never done an interview where someone was so rude to me,” Zenovich told Variety last month. “But I was so worried going into that first interview with him about how I was going to say to him, like, ‘Everyone thinks you’re an asshole.’ I thought if I did, he would throw me out of his house. So the minute he said that to me, I had a way in.”
“I wanted to figure out who was the real person behind the conflicted, guarded and somewhat fragile man we see on camera,” she continued. “What was behind the surface of his slightly intimidating superstar bravado? Was there any self-awareness there? Having interviewed Chevy at length, I have to say that yes, it’s all there – and a whole lot of pain and heartache too.”
The documentary premieres tonight on CNN at 8 p.m. ET/PT, making it accessible to both traditional cable subscribers and cord-cutters alike. Viewers can watch the film live through major TV streaming services that carry CNN, including DirecTV, Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV, both of which include the channel in their standard lineups and allow subscribers to tune in across smart TVs, mobile devices and web browsers. For those unable to catch the premiere in real time, both services also offer cloud DVR options.
