It's been a pretty strong summer entertainment wise. TNT is broadcasting two strong shows: THE ANIMAL KINGDOM lost Scott Speedman but became a much tighter series, CLAWS avoided the dreaded sophmore slump; ABC has the entertaining TAKE TWO; NBC's got the final season of SHADES OF BLUE and a suprisingly strong second season of MARLON; and NETFLIX offered six new episodes of THE JOEL MCHALE SHOW WITH JOEL MCHALE this week.
Let's stay with Joel McHale for a moment. NETFLIX has tried an original talk show and failed. That was true of CHELSEA (Chelsea Handler's obsession with Donald Trump made it a one-note show). It was supposed to be NETFLIX doing late night talk show but it didn't make it and got worse with each episode. You'd hope NETFLIX had learned their lesson.
They hadn't.
Before we move into that, let's note that the talk show format is struggling. Yes, that's true of the big three's late night programming where 'winners' are being called despite niche ratings. But we're talking about actual biggies -- for example, the biggest talk show on daytime television.
Ellen Degeneres is preparing to do her first stand up act in forever. Why? She's hoping (a) it will revive her now struggling talk show and (b) she can still pull off stand-up since it appears THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW may be coming to a close sooner than anyone would have ever expected. This is partly due to Ellen's raises throughout the series long life (its currently on season 15) which increase the cost of the program and partly due to her ratings issues (earlier this month, the show saw a season low which was actually a series low in the ratings).
Some of it has to do with overexpsoure, to be sure. When Ellen debuted her daytime talk show she was coming off two successful comedy tours following two sitcom cancellations (ELLEN got the axe by ABC -- not for low ratings -- and CBS only aired one season of her follow up sitcom). Was it because she was gay? Because she came out? Some combination of the two?
People believe in -- and root for -- fairness. So Ellen's daytime show was a hit once Ellen proved she could deliver. As a people, we wanted to support Ellen and root for her. And she delivered a breezy, nonsense hour that daytime hadn't seen since the end of THE ROSIE O'DONNELL SHOW.
It was never going to be anything but amusing but that was enough. For some viewers (the ones advertisers don't care for), she's still a staple. For other viewers (those who are younger), she's someone their parents and grandparents watch and they themselves don't see the point.
This isn't a development unique to Ellen. As
Joni Mitchell's always argued, fame is a four year office. As
Carly Simon's pointed out repeatedly, if you wait it out, it will be, yes, "coming around again."
This has been a season of struggle for ELLEN because viewers have been hugely unimpressed. Though part of that is due to familiarity, a large part of the problem is Andy Lassner who came on to a certain type of program and was forced to support that genre while Jim Partore was alive, but when Paratore passed away in 2012, Andy began tinkering with the show. This has led to some of the most embarrassing moments in the last two years. It's led to Ellen's negatives increasing. Most of all, it's led to an unamusing show.
Ellen's going on the road, she'll probably turn it into an HBO special.
Speaking of HBO . . .
Roseanne Barr has been the easy topic of late for so many. But if you want to talk crash and burn, isn't Jon Stewart part of that?
Nearly three years ago, NBC NEWS reported:
Jon Stewart's retirement as "Daily Show" host has allowed him to change channels — to HBO, that is.
The comedian and premium-cable network announced a four-year deal Tuesday that will include Stewart creating exclusive digital content for HBO NOW, HBO Go and other platforms.
The production pact also gives HBO the first-look option for any film and TV projects by Stewart, the network said in a news release.
That digital content?
Jon couldn't pull it off. It was so bad, what he managed, that not only did HBO never air it or post it online, they cancelled that portion of the deal.
He will now do an HBO comedy special. It's 1996 all over again! Maybe Jon's comedy special will lead to praise and his own TV show!!!!
Talk about crash and burn.
And talked about how sheltered he's been. He hand picked his successor for THE DAILY SHOW and not only did a woman not get the spot, a woman wasn't even considered.
And that's before you note that he was buddy-buddy with Harvey Weinstein. Funny how one riff on Stephen Colbert's late night show and no one ever thought to ask Stewart about his long friendship with Harvey Weinstein or his financial relationship for that matter.
Jon Stewart, like so many others, mocked women openly on his show.
There is a man in the White House today, Donald Trump, who we are repeatedly told should not be there with many attaching the reason to his treatment (or perceived treatment) of women.
But who has standing to call him out?
Rob Reiner thinks he has the standing to call Trump out. We'll close our lips on his personal life (for now) but we'll note he has nothing to point to professionally. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY . . .? That was Nora Ephron. That was Nora writing the screenplay and Nora and Meg Ryan (during shooting) fighting for Sally. Otherwise Sally would have disappeared the way most women do in Reiner's films. This is the man, please remember, who rudely brushed off Diane Keaton on the set of AND SO IT GOES . . . when she was attempting to address character and plot points. But Reiner never has time for women. It's why he could make a film entitled THE PRINCESS BRIDE that barely focused on the title character. Whether it's his just released bomb SHOCK AND AWE or any other film, he ignores women.
And yet he thinks we're supposed to listen to him?
Jon Stewart, as already noted, didn't believe a woman was capable of replacing him, but we're supposed to listen to him?
David Letterman's past is nothing but sexual harassment on the job and we're supposed to listen to him?
Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmerl, Seth Meyers, et al? We're supposed to listen to them? They're an island of straight White males, arms linked to ensure that no woman crosses over and we're supposed to listen to them?
Colbert thought it was cute to make Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem cook on his show and to sit in his lap. Now they may have been stupid enough to go along with that, they might have thought it was silly but, no, most women did not find it amusing.
These men -- and so many more -- think they can stand in judgment on Donald Trump but their own behavior isn't praise worthy.
If Chelsea Handler could have found a way through the rage, she might have been able to lead on the topic. As it was, her anger crippled her. It's worth noting that John Mulaney has done the best Trump critique and the only one that will stand the test of time because it's actually funny. (See his NETFLIX specail JOHN MULANEY: KID GORGEOUS AT RADIO CITY .)
Samantha Bee? She's just trying to find sponsors since the c-word spectacle. And that stunt also hurts her chances to lead on this issue.
Which brings us back to NETFLIX's refusal to learn.
A lot of money was spent on CHELSEA but Chelsea delivered. Not huge streams, but she earned her money and then some and, most important for NETFLIX, left them with a large library (120 episodes in two years, she worked for her large salary). Then there's Jerry Seinfeld and David Letterman. As part of their deal with Jerry, NETFLIX stole COMEDIANS IN CARS from CRACKLE. On the free service CRACKLE, the show did well. On NETFLIX, it's not pulling in streams and critics are carping that its quality has declined. As for Letterman?
David got a fortune for his six episode season. If you missed it, NETFLIX has still not said there will be a second season. That's because no one streams David Letterman. It might be due to the fact that his guests are tired. Did, in 2018, anyone really need another interview with George Clooney or Tina Fey? At least Tina was a woman -- one of only two on David's show. He did, however, find time to interview Howard Stern. In fact, his guests are so out dated and out of touch, you can almost picture him requesting Lou Albano for a possible season two guest and then Dave bursting out in tears when informed Captain Lou died in 2009.
David, like so many piggish men, thinks he can slam Trump for his treatment of women and we're all going to say, "Thank you, Dave!" But
Dave's own piggish behavior is well known.
It's so funny how these men think they have voices to speak with. They've -- as Jimmy Kimmel did -- shoved women at their crotches on camera for giggles and now they think we're going to applaud them?
Yes, some women will. Dumb women who follow trends will applaud them.
But the majority of women? No.
NETFLIX is failing with talk shows. Joel McHale has been the exception. We'd hoped that another show would succeed but THE BREAK WITH MICHELLE WOLF just isn't making it.
We waited and waited to find something good to say about this show. Here it is, she took on virtue signaling in a recent episode. She addressed a topic we have -- applause is not laughter. She took on the 'comedians' of late night in a pointed segment where she noted that they just weren't funny but people were applauding to show their agreement with the sentiments.
Maybe that can lead to something?
Who knows but if she's going to be the voice for women, she's going to have bring women on as guests. Her line up so far is worse than David Letterman's has been.
There she is, on her July 4th episode, celebrating women's rights . . . with guest Seth Meyers? Or she's delivering a commentary on what she sees as the entitlement of White men before chatting with the guest for that epiosde . . . Nick Kroll. Eight episodes and eight guests and only one has been a woman.
Does Michelle really think she has standing to criticize Donald Trump?
She's as bad as any of the men hosting talk shows.
Let's be really clear, if Michelle can't find a way to make half the guests women, why should women watch her? What she's saying currently with her guest list is that women aren't interesting enough to be guests. Well if they're not interesting enough to be guests, they aren't interesting enough to be hosts.
So which is it, Michelle?
Chelsea's rage was real. You never got the feeling that she was performing -- the way you do with Jimmy Kimmel's whose bemused reactions frequently demonstrate that his feud with Donald Trump is little more than a publicity bonaza. And it's a shame that her rage ended up crippling her because she could connect and she was a real and valid voice. She deserves credit for that and she also deserves credit for making it clear that women were part of the US and part of the world. Not 1/8th as Michelle Wolf appears to believe, but an equal part of the world and equal part of existence.
When we were having a discussion about these topics with two NETFLIX friends, they first of all wanted to insist that A LITTLE HELP WITH CAROL BURNETT was a talk show. We noted that when we'd praised it here -- several times -- we'd lumped in as family programming. They agreed that it was
also that. We don't see an
also. It's more of a game show -- without prizes -- than a talk show. It's a good show. It's also a funny show.
And NETFLIX really seems to struggle with funny when doing a talk show. Joel McHale's been the exception. NETFLIX suits want to toss Carol's show in as well (and it is funny) so let's go ahead. But that still doesn't explain why Michelle Wolf has failed to live up to funny or, for that matter, failed to live up to the promise that she wasn't going to be another partisan voice and would only touch on politics when there was something funny to say.
In a strong summer, it's not enough just to be new. For instance, no one's rushing to watch PENN & TELLER FOOL US or LIVING BIBLICALLY or, sadly, the final season of THE ORIGINALS which has not been about the characters you love but instead all about setting up teeny bop Hope for her spin-off. It's shoved all the other characters except for Klaus to the side and THE CW might want to worry about that because by not sending the show off with a powerful last season, it's ensured that LEGACIES (the Hope spin-off) has generated tremendous ill will before a single episode has aired. In a strong summer, with actual entertainment, viewers don't have to settle and, as the ratings have demonstrated, they haven't.
