These are strange times — perhaps end times — for the nighttime TV talk show. CBS bounced “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” off the air in May. On ABC Jimmy Kimmel fends off a politically motivated attack from the FCC every few months. Jimmy Fallon is a nice, safe alternative on NBC, where Seth Meyers goes on the air after most people go to bed. John Oliver, on HBO, and “The Daily Show” crew, on Comedy Central, keep the political commentary/satire flag flying. On the whole, audiences have never been more fragmented, and the whole genre seems ripe for reinvention.
Which is exactly what’s happening on YouTube, where hosts, unburdened from broadcast and cable expectations, introduce new wrinkles — a skeptic might say gimmicks — into old formats. They mock the formulas — cue the guest to recite canned anecdotes, laugh appreciatively, introduce the musical act — on which the talk show foundation was built. Their shows are generally offered and consumed in quick bites, perfect for a snack during your commute (hopefully not while you’re driving), or as a respite from your daily doomscroll.
The current generation, which includes Kareem Rahma’s “SubwayTakes,”Sean Evans’s “Hot Ones,”Amelia Dimoldenberg’s“Chicken Shop Date,” and Dana Gould’s “Hanging with Dr. Z,” present at least the illusion of off-the-cuff spontaneity and authenticity, mixed with varying degrees of absurdity. And they all owe a debt to Zach Galifianakis’s “Between Two Ferns,” which ran from 2008 to 2018. Created for the comedy video website Funny or Die, the show featured Galifianakis sitting with a celebrity guest between, well, two ferns, asking intentionally rude and obtuse questions. The guests got to test their improv skills and occasionally plug something, as when then-US President Barack Obama appeared to promote healthcare.gov but also got in some zingers of his own. When Galifianakis asked him if he was upset that he couldn’t run for a third term — a joke that no longer seems so funny — Obama retorted: “That would be sort of like doing a third “Hangover” movie. It didn’t really work out that well, did it?” Touché.
Part of the “Two Ferns” charm was the simple black background, a minimalist touch that suggested a DIY philosophy. The effect also serves “Hot Ones,” in which the ferns are replaced by chicken wings of escalating spice levels. Evans conducts his interviews over a series of 10 wings, each hotter than the one before; before long the questions and answers become secondary to the pain and endurance. Evans’s guests have included Keke Palmer (who flirts madly with the host), Conan O’Brien (who made a comical, faux-impervious show of smearing his face with hot sauce), and Idris Elba, who, feeling the heat, asked Evans a logical question: “Whose idea was this show?” Informed that producer Chris Schonberger came up with the nefarious concept, Elba turned toward the off-camera guilty party and asked another logical question: “Can you fight, Chris?” I like watching supercuts that isolate the guests’ responses to each wing, from nonchalant chatting to “Can you fight?”
Food is on the table in “Chicken Shop Date” as well, though here the flirting is the main course. English comedian Amelia Dimoldenberg, who is also the Social Media Ambassador and Red Carpet Correspondent for the Academy Awards, sits across from her guests at garishly lit fried chicken restaurants in London and engages in the kind of awkward conversation you might actually find on a first date
Spontaneity is the show’s metier, accompanied by a lingering question: Is this chemistry actually real? When Dimoldenberg dined with former “Amazing Spider-Man” star Andrew Garfield, she couldn’t resist poking the web: “Are your spidey senses tingling right now?” (“You get one of those,” Garfield replied with a laugh.) Soon it was his turn to ask a question: “Would you be more attracted to me if I had an Academy Award?” Her blunt response: “Maybe, yeah.” It’s all showbiz, of course, but in the back of your mind you could imagine these two continuing their date in front of a cozy fire.
On “SubwayTakes” comedian Kareem Rahma takes the off-the-cuff interview concept mobile, interviewing guests (including Spike Lee, Woody Harrelson, Charli xcx, Zohran Mamdani, and Jennifer Lopez) on moving New York subway trains, with microphones clipped to MetroCards. The signature question — “What’s your take?” — and the often tongue-in-cheek answers can actually work as a parody of the “hot take” imperative that has trivialized so much media discourse. Some responses, however, are taken quite seriously. When Lopez recently appeared on the show and offered that “You have to be born in New York to be a New Yorker,” her words generated headlines and outrage. Come on, people. It’s a show called “SubwayTakes.” Lighten up a little.
“Hanging with Dr. Z” is the most performative and high-concept of the online interview shows. Dana Gould (from Hopedale) interviews guests — usually fellow comedians — in a manner that brings to mind Johnny Carson by way of the Borscht Belt, with a tock of Don Rickles. Oh yes, he also wears full-on Dr. Zaius makeup — that’s the Minister of Science from the “Planet of the Apes” movies — as he delivers zingers and guests try to keep a straight face. If you thought Bill Hader broke character a lot on “Saturday Night Live,” just wait until you see him on “Dr. Z.”
All of the above have burbled up from the underground — which doesn’t mean they’re staying there. Netflix recently premiered “Hot Ones: Extra Heat,” in which Evans leaves that perfect black background behind to eat wings with Netflix talent in locations inspired by Netflix shows. Yes, that’s a lot of Netflix. Meanwhile, Rahma recently signed a dealwith mega-agency UTA for representation in all areas. Good for them; they deserve the exposure, and the payday. But both of those prizes make it harder to present as an upstart sending a jolt through the tired talk show format.
You can bet that some other aspiring interrogator is getting ready to come up from behind, ready to shake things up all over again. The talk show is ripe for reinvention, for reasons of technology and alternative, ever-portable exhibition as much as changing tastes. At least that’s my take
Chris Vognar can be reached at chris.vognar@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram at @chrisvognar and on Bluesky at chrisvognar.bsky.social
