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this fall are WANDA SYKES, upper left; MO'NIQUE, upper right, and GEORGE LOPEZ, lower left. |
Move over, Conan & Co.;
Here come some rivals
of TheColumnists.com
Conan. Dave. Jimmy.
Craig. Lots of choices, so do we need more late-night talkers?
Probably not, but BET, TBS and Fox each think there’s room
for more this fall.
Joining the weeknight talk wars will be George Lopez on TBS and
Mo’Nique on BET. Wanda Sykes will be along Saturday nights
on Fox. All three are comedians, actors and TV series veterans
jumping into the late night fray.
So, what, if anything, is going to differentiate their shows
from the current crop? Here’s what the three had to say
to television columnists, including yours truly, at the summer
Television Critics Association press previews.
Let’s start with Lopez, whose “Lopez Tonight” will
air at 11 p.m., Mondays-Thursdays on TBS beginning Nov. 9. Lopez
is a funny guy and fast on his feet with a quick quip in answering
a question. For example, here’s his response to a question
about where the pilot episode was shot.
“It was a little barrio in Burbank. That’s actually
right there--We shot it outside because we wanted to give it
[the show] the feel of a party outside. That is [it was] shot
right outside of the ‘ER’ set where the ambulances
come in. So, with health care being the way it is we thought
a Latino near a hospital trying to get health care and have a
party at the same time was a perfect spot.”
(The pilot was shot outdoors, but the show will be indoors on
a set created to look like it’s outside.)
So, what’s the format? Says Lopez, “The show is
comedy and entertainment in bulk, bigger and better. I’m
just trying to have a party. Parties are spontaneous. I don’t
want to see a monologue. There might be some stand-up in the
beginning. Some nights there will be a great guest or a great
musical act. If we have Bruce Springsteen or Prince or Santana
or somebody good, we put them on first. Why would you hold George
Clooney back, and why would you not bring out somebody fantastic
early to get things going, to get that party started that way?
You know, this [show] is going to be different every night.”
And how about Mo’Nique? What will
be different about “The
Mo'Nique
Show”--weeknights at 11 on BET starting
Oct. 5?
Here’s Mo’Nique’s response:
“Do you like having a good time? Do you like feeling
good before you go to sleep? Do you like to have joy in your
heart? Do you like to hug before you close your eyes? That’s
why you should watch ‘The Mo’Nique Show.’”
Mo’Nique said that having a talk show has been her dream
since, well, almost forever.
“I’ve been in this business for over 20 years, and
from the moment I wanted to get into this business it was doing
a talk show,” she said.
Unlike the other L.A.-based talkers, Mo’Nique’s show
will be taped in Atlanta because, as BET president of programming
Loretha Jones said, the network wanted to take the show to a
community “that is not being saturated with other talk
shows.”
Mo'Nique will tape the show three days
each week in the southern city, which means she still will have
time to tour because “I’m still a comedienne. I
love it, baby.” As for the show's structure, she says:
“Every guest we have on I’m dying to talk to. No
one [guest] outweighs the other. Everyone is just as important
as the next one. With the show, when we open it up sometimes
there may be monologue. Sometimes it may be a skit. Sometimes
it may be just how we feel. There’s no when you turn it
on you know what you are going to get because you don’t.
You don’t know what you might get with ‘The
Mo’Nique Show,’ but we always know you are going to
feel good about it,” she said.
“The Wanda Sykes
Show” is set to premiere on Fox Nov.
7 at 11 p.m. First off, Sykes said her Saturday night talker
doesn’t mean she’s leaving CBS’ “The New
Adventures of Old Christine.” She’ll be doing both.
So what’s the format for the show?
“Basically, I’m your wrap-up of what happened during
the week--but from my point of view,” she said. About
those topics....news, politics, sports? “Nothing is off
limits,” she said.
Show executive producer Eddie Feldman explained further: "I
think Wanda’s point of view is that [the show] will take
you through not only the stories and the news, but how the news
has been covered. I think what we’re trying to do maybe
a little differently is to have the opportunity to have Wanda’s
point of view really look at the week in a different way. Yes,
through skit’s, through some really eclectic panels,through
things that are somewhat a little different, but fun.”
Perhaps Wanda put it best in the fewest words: “It’s
just going to be funny. That's what we’re going for.”
©2009 by Donna J. Plesh. This column first posted Aug. 17, 2009.
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