Stu Shostak comments on my “Gong Show” review and, in particular, the odd choice to have Mike Myers host the show in character (and prosthetics)…
I hate when so-called “real” shows have actors in character appearing on them. It drove me bat-shit crazy when Father Guido Sarducci guested on Letterman. It destroys any credibility a show has and it’s a blur between what’s fake and what’s real (not that it matters on a piece of garbage like this anyway).
We’re living in a world where fake news is the reality…and this show has always contributed to the dumbing down of this country since the 70s. I was never a fan of the original “Gong Show.”
The only reason this is even on the air is because ABC wanted their own “America’s Got Talent,” “The Voice,” and “American Idol.” This would not have been greenlit otherwise. Oh…and the ratings? That was the curiosity tune-in factor. Let’s see what happens in the next few weeks.
Mark Edwards adds:
Great review, and I agree almost completely. The show, to me, just isn’t the Gong Show without Chuckie baby. It was what he did on the screen and in the writers room that made that show special, and his contributions have been under appreciated since the show aired and I was watching it when I should’ve been in school. Sometimes you can’t re-create lightning in a bottle. The new version of the show is one of those times.
And Earl Burton says:
Just another demonstration of the lack of creativity that currently exists. Instead of trying to challenge their audiences, the main networks instead reheat old, stale leftovers in a vain attempt to “entertain.” Sorry, won’t be checking out this “Gong Show,” especially since the dearly departed Chuck Barris isn’t involved.