''Strike Force Five'' is a limited series podcast hosted by American comedians and talk show hosts

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The Ton ...

Jimmy Kimmel James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the host and executive producer of ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-night talk show that premiered on ABC on January 26, 2003, ...

Seth Meyers Seth Adam Meyers (born December 28, 1973) is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, and television host. He hosts ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'', a late-night talk show on NBC. Prior to that, he was a cast member and head writer for NBC ...

, and

John Oliver John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. Oliver started his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom. He came to wider attention ...

. Running 12 episodes from August 30 to October 10, 2023, it was created to support the five hosts' employees who were out of work due to the

2023 Writers Guild of America strike From May 2 to September 27, 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA)—representing 11,500 screenwriters—went on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). With a duration of 148 days, the ...

. Upon its debut, the podcast hit the top charts on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

and

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

in the United States and received positive to mixed reviews.

History

Background

On May 2, 2023, the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Guil ...

(WGA), representing 11,500 screenwriters, went on strike over an ongoing labor dispute with the

Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) is a trade association based in Sherman Oaks, California, that represents over 350 American television and film production companies in collective bargaining negotiations with entert ...

(AMPTP). Production for many shows employing WGA members was immediately halted, including the hosts' respective talk shows, ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

'', ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

'', ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

'', ''

Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing weeknights a ...

'', and ''

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (often abridged as ''Last Week Tonight'') is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by comedian John Oliver. The half-hour-long show premiered in April 2014 on HBO. ''Last Wee ...

''. Stephen Colbert suggested that the hosts keep in touch more during the strike, citing poor communication among the late-night hosts during the last writers' strike in 2008 as one of the reasons. The hosts began having weekly

Zoom Zoom may refer to: Technology Computing * Zoom (software), videoconferencing application * Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display * Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...

meetings to discuss the strike, which eventually led to the creation of the podcast named after their personal text chain. Proceeds from the podcast would go to the hosts' employees, who were out of work because of the strike.

Post-debut

On September 13, it was announced that Fallon, Kimmel, and Colbert would be performing together in a one-night-only live show called "Strike Force Three" at the

Dolby Live Dolby Live (formerly Park Theater) is an indoor amphitheater on the grounds of the Park MGM casino hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Opening in December 2016, the theater primarily hosts concerts and residencies and is the second-largest theater on th ...

theater in Las Vegas on September 23. Much like ''Strike Force Five'', the show was set to raise money for their staff members. However, the live show was cancelled because Kimmel tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Several celebrities have made guest appearances on the podcast, including

Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted ''The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts ''Th ...

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...

, and

Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion. He began his career starring in the Canadian teen ...

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (19 ...

was set to be one of the guests, but the strike ended before he could be scheduled. As the writers' strike ended on September 27, allowing the production of late-night talk shows to resume, the hosts announced that the podcast would end after an unspecified number of episodes. The podcast ended on October 10, 2023, after 12 episodes.

Format

The podcast was set to run for at least 12 episodes, with each episode lasting approximately 60 minutes. During each episode, the five hosts would discuss one or more subjects, such as fishing or interesting facts about their parents, on a Zoom call. The leading host, who is different for every episode, would usually decide on the subjects. Additionally, a thunder sound effect played every time the podcast title was mentioned. The podcast's improvised nature aimed to demonstrate the importance of their staff members, such as researchers and writers, to their respective shows.

Episodes

Reception

''Strike Force Five'' received positive to mixed reviews, with many critics praising the cause but also commenting on the uneven quality of the podcast. Alexi Duggins of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' thought there was a "lo-fi charm" to the podcast and found the conversations interesting. Sarah Larson of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' considered the podcast to have "a value of its own", writing that it was refreshing to hear the hosts having friendly discussions while also supporting the strike. Podcast critic

Nicholas Quah Nicholas Quah is a journalist for Vulture and is the creator of the Nieman Lab newsletter Hot Pod News. Career Quah was the creator of the ''Hotpods'' newsletter. Quah worked for BuzzFeed in 2015 while writing the newsletter. Vox Media acquir ...

on ''The Colin McEnroe Show'' podcast felt that the comedic potential of the podcast was unexplored. Although Miranda Sawyer of ''The Guardian'' appreciated the podcast’s cause, she felt that the unscripted nature of the podcast sometimes leads to unfocused discussions. Fiona Sturges of the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' felt the quality of the podcast was inconsistent, with Sean Malin of ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'' noting that it depended on who was hosting the episodes. Fiona McCann of ''

the Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' thought that the podcast was lackluster compared to the hosts' respective talk shows.

James Poniewozik James "Jim" Poniewozik (; born July 12, 1968) is an American journalist and television critic. He is the chief TV critic for ''The New York Times''. Earlier in his career, he wrote ''Time'' magazine's ''Tuned In'' column for 16 years. Early life ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described the podcast as "an amiable, shapeless session of five peers busting chops, trading shop talk and occasionally reading sponsor ads like modern day

Joe Franklin Joe Franklin (March 9, 1926 – January 24, 2015), born Joseph Fortgang, was an American radio and television host personality, author and actor from New York City. Franklin is noted for having the first talk show and inventing the format. His te ...

s." The podcast was featured on ''Time'' list of the top 10 podcasts of 2023. The podcast also saw responses from late-night staff members, subject-matter experts, and other late-night hosts. Bill Carter, author of ''

The Late Shift The Late Shift or Late Shift may refer to: * ''The Late Shift'' (book), a 1994 book about 1990s conflict regarding ''The Tonight Show'' ** ''The Late Shift'' (film), a 1996 HBO film based on the book *''Comedy Inc: The Late Shift'', a 2005–2007 s ...

'' and '' The War for Late Night'', praised the idea and said that the hosts "get along pretty well, which is kind of atypical for the history of late night." Sarah Kobos, photo research coordinator for ''

'', expressed her gratitude for the podcast going towards helping fellow staff members.

Greg Gutfeld Greg is a masculine given name, and often a shortened form of the given name Gregory. Greg (more commonly spelled " Gregg") is also a surname. People with the name *Greg Abbott (disambiguation), multiple people *Greg Abel (born 1961/1962), Canadi ...

, who hosts ''

Gutfeld! ''Gutfeld!'', known as ''The Greg Gutfeld Show'' from 2015 to 2021, is an American late-night talk show on Fox News Channel, created and presented by Greg Gutfeld. It airs at 11 p.m. ET on weeknights with an encore episode that airs Saturdays a ...

'' on

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

, called the podcast "pathetic" and additionally criticized the comedy styles of the hosts' shows. Gutfeld's show was unaffected by the writers' strike because it did not employ WGA writers. Many critics consider the fifth episode, "Strike Force Wives!", the best episode of the podcast. Seth Meyers commented that it was "the launch pad" for ''Strike Force Five'', as the hosts discovered that audiences enjoyed a looser approach to the podcast. During ''Strike Force Five'''s run, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' published a report that detailed the alleged toxic work environment on ''The Tonight Show'' caused by Fallon's "erratic behavior". Nina Metz of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' commented on what it meant for the future of the podcast, saying, "These are public figures who have worked to cultivate reputations as decent human beings who are sincerely interested in the people who work for them. ..How does continuing with Fallon – as if nothing is amiss – not tarnish that?"

Linda Holmes Linda Holmes (born March 16, 1959) is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 42nd District since January 2007. The 42nd district includes all or parts of Aurora, Boulder Hill, Montgomery, Naperville, North Aurora and O ...

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's ''Pop Culture Happy Hour'' podcast also expressed her uncertainty about the future of the podcast, saying that it would be odd to not address the allegations even if they had prerecorded episodes. It was later revealed that at least two other episodes were recorded before the report, and the controversy remained unaddressed after the end of the podcast. ''Strike Force Five'' debuted at number one on the podcast and news podcast charts of both

and

in the United States.

References

{{Reflist 2023 podcast debuts Audio podcasts Comedy podcasts Megaphone (podcasting) 2023 establishments in the United States 2023 podcast endings