Stand-up comics are leading the way, a change from the past dominance of television by sit-coms and sketch shows.

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The network will also add The Green Room with Paul Provenza (a behind-the-scenes series featuring stand-up comics like Eddie Izzard, Andy Dick and Bob Saget, among others) to its schedule.

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To make the cut, the comics had to count stand-up as their primary income, a qualification that left funnymen like Jerry Seinfeld, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno off this year's list.

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And although BET hosted a generation of young comedians on its cheesy stand-up showcase Comic View, big-time comics, such as Richard Pryor and Jay Leno, ridiculed Johnson for paying low appearance fees.

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Dean Obeidallah, founder of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival and a stand-up comedian who conducts workshops in the Middle East, said he has witnessed an explosion in the number of local comics in the region.

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