Even Sabado Gigante's host knew when to pack it in... this may have worked as mindless summer fluff for 3-4 episodes tops its all too repetitive
I tried but by the fifteen minute mark I was hitting the 30 second skip like crazy and it was six episodes in under 20 minutes and now removed from the DVR... for me its not worth it sitting thru too much for a one good thing.
I wonder how much NBC is shelling out per episode?
This show is good harmless fun entertainment.
share+marty1968 You are absolutely correct. NPH is no Ed Sullivan. Ed Sullivan was a deadpan emcee/announcer who did no more than introduce some very amazing acts and talented performers of the era. On the other hand, NPH himself is an amazingly multi-talented performer and all-around fun and entertaining person. I have not only immensely enjoyed his multiple times hosting the Tony Awards and his performances on them, particularly the opening numbers, but I have also had the privilege and extreme pleasure of seeing him perform live in two of my favorite Broadway musicals in revival before I left NYC, and in both he gave unparalled performances, one of which earned him a Tony Award. He can sing, dance, and act (what in Broadway lingo is known as a "triple threat"), and if you hadn't hit the fast forward during your mindless viewing of BTE, you would have seen during each of the "End of Show Show" segments that he also pushes himself to do some amazing as well as dangerous things from acrobatics, to Cirque du Soleil-type feats, to crazy trampoline antics and walking fiery tightropes. All of these done by the way, live in front of a large studio audience and on national television. Oh, and I forgot to mention that he is also an impressive magician.
As for your reasoning that this program proves that variety shows are dead, this particular format, taken from a highly successful and well-liked British program, doesn't really fall under that category. This is quite a different animal. Variety shows of the past such as Ed Sullivan's had a number of different performers as well as big names of the day with varying talents, or often, as in the case of The Carol Burnett Show and Flip Wilson, there were regulars who took on different and sometimes recurring characters in hilarious sketches. BTE is a mash-up of pranks, hidden camera segments, surprising (and often embarrassing, shocking, or thrilling) unsuspecting audience members on the spot (which neccesitate a great deal of research, assistance from family or friends, deception, and secrecy), and of course, the always amazing End of Show Show. There has NEVER been a variety show of this nature, because, as I believe I have made clear, this is not a variety show in the normal scope of the genre.
The real reason I believe variety shows are dead is twofold. First of all, there isn't enough genuine talent around these days to fill an hour time slot that would satisfy an audience over the age of 15. Second, the American public, whom I have believed for the majority of my life, to paraphrase the late great singer, Sylvester, has its taste in its feet. How else do you account for the glut of unreality shows on the cable waves these days and the countless viewers of these mindless programs, most of which feature pseudo- and/or non-celebrities like the Kartrashians, or prisoners, spoiled "housewives," "The Bachelor & Bachelorette," people who go fishing for crabs, buy memorabilia or the unseen precious items in a storage unit that some poor soul (like myself) lost due to non-payment of the rental fees? This is not only the type of garbage that passes for entertainment these days that the public eats up in large quantities, but eats up the programming space for the variety shows that you seem to so sorely mourn, which nearly no one is interested in these days anyway.
As for your speculation regarding the amount of cash NBC shelled out for this short-lived but albeit highly entertaining program, I would think that since NPH is the Executive Producer of the show that most of the investment came from his bank account. BTW, not only have I NOT been a fan of NBC's programming for a good number of years now, but I have hardly even given any of their new shows a first viewing in a very long time due to the consistently continual low quality and often triteness of their ideas and poor writing. The only reason I gave this program a shot was because of my desire to see NPH whom I adore, admire, and respect host a show unlike any other in America. And the reason I continued to watch every week before it was prematurely cancelled was due to the amount of fun, surprises, thrills, laughter, and tears it brought to my life if only for an hour. Needless to say I was sad and disappointed to see it end so soon.