An unabashed love letter to women comedians, Andrea Nevins’ “Hysterical” is a celebration of some of the funniest stand-ups working today. Margaret Cho, Fortune Feimster, Nikki Glaser, Kathy Griffin, Sherri Shepherd, Iliza Shlesinger, and others give candid interviews about what it takes to make it as a woman in comedy, a male-dominated profession that’s famous for reducing women, people of color, and sexual assault survivors to punchlines.

It’s not exactly surprising to learn that all of the women featured have horror stories to tell. They’ve been dealing with sexism and misogyny since long before they ever took the stage. As the late Joan Rivers explains in the doc, it’s “very hard for a woman who has been raised sweet and docile to get up in front of thousands of people and demand to be heard.” Cho recalls having to convince people she “had something important to say.” Not everyone was willing to listen.

Comic after comic describes feeling like they had to prove their experiences were as valid as their male counterparts — that their stories were worth telling. And it’s not just hecklers they had to convince. Shlesinger recalls pitching a show to a network and being told by an exec, “we already have a show from a funny blonde woman.” The comics remember being denied bookings at local comedy clubs because they already had one woman on the bill. That’s to say nothing of the treatment they’ve received from their male colleagues. Interviewees share horrific accounts of being sexually harassed and assaulted by fellow comics and fans.

Suffice to say, pursuing stand-up comedy was an uphill battle for all of these women. But “Hysterical” isn’t just an indictment of the industry’s sexism or a portrait of how these comics overcame the odds. It’s a showcase for their humor. The doc is heavy on footage from the comedians’ live sets, where they’re breaking boundaries and bringing laughs. They’re hysterical.

“Hysterical” premieres today at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FX and begins streaming tomorrow, April 3, on FX on Hulu.