Larry Charles takes us inside the world's most dangerous places for comedy

If there's a Hollywood writer or performer out there who wants to explore the dark side of comedy, Larry Charles is probably the first person they call.

The comedian, writer, director and producer has worked on hit movies and genre-defining comedies with Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David and Sacha Baron-Cohen, as well as a list of eccentric genius types, like Andy Kaufman, Bob Dylan and Kanye West.

In his new four-part Netflix series, Larry Charles' Dangerous World of Comedy, Charles looks for the cultural meaning of comedy in places you might not think to look for it.

He meets stand up comics in Iraq and Somalia, and visits American war vets and Indigenous women who are bringing new voices to comedy in the U.S. Through it all, Charles asks, what is it that makes us laugh, even in the most difficult situations? 

Charles joined q's Tom Power to tell us more about Larry Charles' Dangerous World of Comedy, which is available now on Netflix.

Click 'listen' at the top of the page to hear the full interview.

— Produced by ​Chris Trowbridge