A long reach, you say? Not really. Akroyd and some of his nearest and dearest friends from the comedy world have gotten together to explore the social impact of… Drinking. The six-part documentary is aptly titled: A History of the World in Six Glasses.
If you just Google the title – A History of the World in Six Glasses – you get a rundown of net references to a book of the same title by Tom Standish. That’s no coincidence. The series is based on Standish’s 2006 volume, which traces the history of our world through the history of its most important beverages. Those, he asserts, are: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, soda.
A vested interest
Akroyd is a well-known Canadian actor who has enjoyed great success in TV and the movies as a comedian and writer. In his retirement, he has espoused drinking in a big way, helming his own winery empire. According to guidetags.com, “his Diamond Estates company produces, distributes and markets wines nationally from its own Niagara wineries. Those include: Birchwood Estate, EastDell Estates, De Sousa Wine Cellars, Lakeview Cellars, Twenty Bees and the recently announced Dan Akroyd Winery, based out of Lakeview Cellars.”
Colourful co-hosts
His co-hosts – perhaps more accurately characterised as ‘drinking buddies’ – are old friends from the comedy world.
Jim Belushi – younger brother of the late, great John – had his own TV series – According to Jim – and not only appeared on but wrote for Saturday Night Live.
Comedian John Lovitz also worked on Saturday Night Live and had a feature film supporting role in A League of Their Own.
Kevin Nealon was nominated for a prime time Emmy for his work on Saturday Night Live in 1987, along with Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for his performance in the comedy series Weeds.
And last but not least… Comedian George Wendt – whose paramount claim to fame is having played the iconic Norm Peterson on Cheers!.
Defining the world in one sentence
In one scene during the opening episode, Akroyd feigns extreme seriousness in delivering his personal vision of the world: “Wine is red, cars are black, money is green, toothpaste is white and cash is king!”
So you can imagine the atmosphere of rascally delight that surrounds this ‘history lesson’…
The next Stanley Tucci?
Akroyd may well turn out to be the next Stanley Tucci. The famed character actor became a food-tour guide to Italy for CNN a couple of years ago and is still going strong. Has Akroyd, perhaps, found a similar second calling? We’ll follow this intriguing lead with interest…
Off and running
A History of the World in Six Glasses débuts tonight, streaming on Fox Nation.
Cheers!
~ Maggie J.