‘The Gong Show’ Being Revived by Will Arnett and ABC

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ABC is looking to continue riding the wave of success they’ve enjoyed from the revival of game shows like $100,000 Pyramid, Celebrity Family Feud, and Match Game, as they’ve announced their plan to bring back the talent show The Gong Show.

The Gong Show, which aired sporadically from 1976 to 1989, was a unique and often-times surreal talent showcase competition most famously hosted by Chuck Barris. Unlike shows like Star Search or today’s America’s Got Talent, The Gong Show was known for featuring especially bizarre acts and rewarding them with even more bizarre prizes. The show was known for its absurdist style, with Barris and the show’s recurring characters, such as The Unknown Comic, going out of their way to satire traditional variety shows of the time. The racy, tongue-in-cheek style of humor used on the show was unlike anything else on television at the time, which is rumored to be why the show was cancelled by NBC despite having decent ratings.

Now, in an age where sarcasm and boundary-pushing acts are par for the course in comedy, ABC and Sony Pictures TV (which owns the rights to the show) believe that the world is ready for Gong once again.

“The comedy culture we are living in has finally caught up to The Gong Show, so the timing is perfect,” said Holly Jacobs of Sony Pictures Television. “We’ve found just the right partners to bring back this iconic original.”

The new iteration of the show will, of course, use the internet to find the strangest and most interesting performers around and put them on stage in front of an always-changing cast of celebrity judges. The show, which has been given a ten-episode order, will be executive produced by BoJack Horseman and Arrested Development’s Will Arnett. No host has been announced at this time, and it’s unclear when exactly the show will be coming to television.

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Bill Tressler

Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.
Bill Tressler
Bill Tressler
Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.