Gene Seymour : ` Your Show of Shows , '' after all , aired live on NBC on Saturday nights just as `` Saturday Night Live '' has for almost 40 years . Carl Reiner was explosive , hilarious comic , very popular in TV 's early days . He says in early days , NBC 's TV shows appealed to both working and thinking classes . His writers included Gene Seymour , Mel Brooks , Neil Simon , Neil Simon ; he was hugely influential . Seymour : He was impulsive , conquered addictions , lived long to see impact of his work .
Gene Seymour : Carl Reiner was explosive , hilarious comic , very popular in TV 's early days . He says in early days , NBC 's TV shows appealed to both working and thinking classes . His writers included Gene Seymour , Mel Brooks , Neil Simon , Neil Simon ; he was hugely influential . Seymour : He was impulsive , conquered addictions , lived long to see impact of his work .