ABC has partnered with comedian Will Arnett to offer up a brand new version of the hit 1970s hybrid game and talent show The Gong Show. The contestants this time around will be selected from the Internet, with YouTube being a prime source for the talent to be presented in the new series.
ABC has been extremely successful this season in reviving some of America's best loved game shows. This year, the network featured a successful summer Sunday slate of a celebrity version of the still-running Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey, along with two new remakes, $100,000 Pyramid, hosted by Michael Strahan, and Match Game, helmed by actor Alec Baldwin. ABC also presented a Tuesday version of former hit game show To Tell The Truth. All four game shows have already been renewed for new seasons by the network.
Now, ABC has announced that it will expand its retro game show slate with the return of The Gong Show, to be produced and hosted by comedian and Emmy winning former 30 Rock star Will Arnett.
"ABC has tapped into the nostalgia and excitement of primetime game shows. We are thrilled to add The Gong Show to ABC's schedule spearheaded by the incomparable Will Arnett," said Sony Pictures TV executive Rob Mills.
The absurdist game show was produced and hosted by the late Chuck Barris and had its main successful run in the latter half of the 1970s. Each episode featured a motley crew of crazy contestants seemingly willing to do anything to appear on TV and possibly win a cash prize. These days, the internet, and YouTube in particular, serve as a treasure trove of such performers, and that's exactly where the producers plan on finding the "talent" for the Gong Show reboot.
Comedian Murray Langston, who was a regular performer on the show doing standup comedy with a paper bag over his head as "The Unknown Comic," thinks the internet is the perfect place to find new contestants for the show.
"In the 70s, it was just local actors in Hollywood who needed extra money. I only went on the show, at first, because I was broke and I needed $200," explained Langston. But now with the YouTube generation, there's probably more potential to find weird, crazy stuff — and people who are willing to make fools of themselves."
Langston says the producers need to be careful not to make the show look too slick, as the intentionally amateurish production elements helped make the show a success the first time around. He also noted that the three-person panel of judges needs to remain eccentric as in the original show, which featured C-list talent such as comedian Rip Taylor, film critic Rex Reed and singer/actress J.P. Morgan.
While the show generally featured novelty acts, it also hosted some real talent that actually went on to become successful. R&B/disco singer Cheryl Lynn got her big break after being spotted performing on the show, as did Annie star Andrea McArdle and Paul Reubens, otherwise known as Pee-wee Herman.
