Smile-Time Variety Hour!

[on:]

...or: The sucking to non-sucking ratio of variety shows...thread

Upon finding out today that the ever-rocking band Barenaked Ladies have been signed on by Fox to do a pilot for a variety show I felt inclined to wonder if there is any posibility that it may be in danger of sucking.  I also wondered how many variety shows of past and present spring to memory for not sucking. Any thoughts?

I did preform a serch, so if there is a thread out there that I might be infringing on I didn't see it and as far as I'm conserned it doesn't exist.

[Reply #1 on:]

Is it on Fox?
Is it not a sitcom, soap, cartoon, or combination thereof?

Then it shall suck.

On your second question, SNL between about '88 and '98 (rough guess, since all I have to go on are reruns) was pretty good.  Other than that, I can't think of an American variety show that was anywhere above subpar.

[Reply #2 on:]

How about MadTv it's better than SNL right now by far. It's been pretty funny since its first episode.

Anyway most variety shows do indeed suck (Cedric The Entertainer's show pops to mind right now) and since this is a show based off a rock group. No, telling how it's going to be.

[Reply #3 on:]

SNL has been pretty bad lately, but Mad Tv is still worse.  Even the Mad Magazine writers admitted that the show is awful. 

Other then SNL, can't think of any good variety shows.  But then I haven't watched many either.  Still, I wouldn't get your hopes up about this one.

[Reply #4 on:]

What's the definition of a "variety show"? Do sketch-comedy shows count as variety shows?  How about late night talkshows?  IMO, a variety show generally has a musical guest, comedic sketches, some interplay between the host and the audience.  Under those circumstances, there hasn't been a successful variety show in a long time on US tv.  I highly doubt the Barenaked Ladies' show will work, if the past is any indictation.

SNL counts, but that's become such a 'comedy institution' that it hardly matters anymore.  The show's been around for nearly 30 years, and not even bad casts or bad writers could cancel it now.

[Reply #5 on:]

 

Originally posted by Mallzie:
I also wondered how many variety shows of past and present spring to memory for not sucking.

Viva Variety, starring Mr. Laupin, the former Mrs. Laupin, and your cool-ass pal, Johnny Bluejeans.

[Reply #6 on:]

Technically The Young Ones was a variety show.