When Lil’ O’Reilly first tantrumed his way to Internet fame a few months ago, what shocked most viral viewers was not the fact that a second-grade boy was able to channel the über-conservative pundit with such pitch-perfect precision; rather, many were surprised by the fact that the wee web superstar was part of the funniest late-night comedic variety show they’d never heard of.
Talkshow with Spike Feresten is an oldteevee offering with which newteevee followers have recently become acquainted VIA ITS hilarious viral videos. Beyond the huge following garnered by Lil’ Bill, this PSA parody, in which an elderly woman attempts to comply with the transition to digital programming, is listed amongst Hulu’s most popular clips of all time.
Feresten’s show has been producing recurring sketches like the “Lil’ O’Reilly Factor,” “Idiot Paparazzi” and “Comedy for Stoners,” all of which arguably rival — or perhaps even surpass — the contemporary incarnation of SNL (at least when Tina Fey stops by). Plus Talkshow’s man-on-the-street segments hearken back to Letterman when he was still funny in that water-cooler-rehashable kind of way.
The comparisons between Feresten and those other long-time oldteevee greats may be not the least bit coincidental: Feresten has written for both SNL and Letterman. Indeed, one glance at his resume proves that the man who now sits behind the desk has chops to spare: Some of the most iconic Seinfeld episodes of all time — and let’s not forget cult favorite Space Ghost — have stemmed from Feresten’s fertile imagination, too.
With Talkshow’s visibility heightened, thanks to the online success of such snippets, the Fox network is gambling that Feresten’s show may be ready for a more robust slot on its roster: Execs have decided to promote the program to a more favorable time slot: 11 p.m. on Saturday nights, beginning on Jan. 17, for a six-week trial run (a slot which the dead-sketch-show-walking, MADTV, will then resume filling with its final fodder, until the end of its current and final season).
In addition to the time slot promotion, Talkshow will also be experimenting with an hour-long format (extended from its otherwise typical 30 minute run). The latter change is a particularly gutsy experiment given that many fans of the existing show cite the abbreviated length as an effective means of keeping deadweight or “filler” material at bay. Regardless: will fans of Talkshow’s online clips be showing up to support it in its native habitat on Fox? More importantly, should they?
In a word (or two): HELL YEAH! The existing format is a 30-minute sketch/variety hybrid that eschews the standard opening monologue; guests are often engaged in imaginative ways beyond planting them on a couch and drawing forth a sanitized smattering of publicist-approved soundbytes. (Witness Tom Green’s participation here, in “Comedy for Stoners” at the 18:00 mark, or actress/model Olivia Munn’s hilarious turn as the ultimate nerd fantasy.)
The fact that many segments are enjoying a surge in online popularity certainly supports the notion that the material is solid. Hopefully online fans of Feresten can find a way to support his show in its old-school native habitat on Fox — it would be nice to see Talkshow flourish and thrive as it deserves. More’s the pity if Feresten’s worthy work doesn’t parlay into a permanent and more favorable position in Fox’s lineup and greater fame in general. Without him, who else is going to provide us with more Lil’ Bill, or horrifyingly sexy Larry King videos that offset the tedium of the Real McCoy?
