''Thicke of the Night'' is an American

late-night talk show A late-night talk show is a genre of talk show popular in the United States, where the format originated. It is generally structured around humorous monologues about the day's news, guest interviews, comedy sketches and music performances. It i ...

starring

Alan Thicke Alan Thicke (born Alan Willis Jeffrey; March 1, 1947December 13, 2016) was a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is the father of singer Robin Thicke. In 2013, Thicke was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. Thicke was be ...

and broadcast in first-run

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

during the 1983–1984 TV season. Among the regulars on ''Thicke of the Night'' were

Richard Belzer Richard Jay Belzer (born August 4, 1944) is a retired American actor, stand-up comedian, and author. He is best known for his role as BPD Detective, NYPD Detective/Sergeant, and DA Investigator John Munch, whom he has portrayed as a regular cast ...

Arsenio Hall Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American comedian, actor and talk show host. He hosted the late-night talk show, ''The Arsenio Hall Show'', from 1989 until 1994, and again from 2013 to 2014. He has appeared in ''Martial Law'', ''Comi ...

Rick Ducommun Richard Ducommun (July 3, 1952 – June 12, 2015) was a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, writer and producer. Career One of his earliest television appearances was on ''Star Search'' and as a technician accosted by a scantily-clad dancer near ...

Charles Fleischer Charles Fleischer (born August 27, 1950) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, and writer, best known for appearing in films such as ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'', ''The Polar Express'', '' Rango'', '' C ...

Gilbert Gottfried Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York accent, and his edgy, often controversial, sense of humor. His numerous ro ...

, Michael McManus,

Chloe Webb Chloe Webb (born June 25, 1956) is an American actress, best known for her roles in the films ''Sid and Nancy'' (1986), ''The Belly of an Architect'' (1987), ''Twins (1988 film), Twins'' (1988), and ''Heart Condition (film), Heart Condition'' (1 ...

, Isabel Grandin, Alvernette Jimenez,

Tamara Champlin Tamara Champlin (née Matoesian) is an American singer-songwriter who started her career as a session singer in Houston, Texas, later moving to Los Angeles. She has performed with and written for singers such as Elton John, Leon Russell, Nicky H ...

and

Fred Willard Frederic Charles Willard (September 18, 1933 May 15, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, and writer. He was best known for his roles in the Rob Reiner mockumentary film ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984); the Christopher Guest mockumentaries ''Wai ...

. Tom Canning led the house band, and

Fred Silverman Fred Silverman (September 13, 1937 – January 30, 2020) was an American television executive and producer. He worked as an executive at all of the Big Three television networks, and was responsible for bringing to television such programs as '' ...

was the show's producer. The announcer was Charlie Tuna. The show was produced by

MGM Television MGM Television Worldwide Group and Digital (alternatively Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television Group and Digital, commonly known as MGM Television and then-known as MGM/UA Television; common metonym: Lion) is an American television production/dis ...

in association with

Metromedia Metromedia (also often MetroMedia) was an American media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and controlled Orion Pictures from 1988 to 1997. Metromedia was established in 1956 after the DuMo ...

, distributed in syndication by MGM/UA Television Distribution

Debut

Intended as a rival to ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

'', the series debuted on September 5, 1983. It was hosted by Canadian actor and songwriter

, who was well known in his home country for hosting ''

The Alan Thicke Show ''The Alan Thicke Show'' was a Canadian daytime talk show hosted by Alan Thicke. A replacement for '' The Alan Hamel Show'', which ran from 1976 to 1980, it aired on CTV between 1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Car ...

'', a popular daytime talk show that ended when Thicke was signed to do the American show. Its debut was preceded by a concerted publicity campaign. When the series made it to air, it was unable to compete against the ''Tonight Show'' in the ratings, and critics were not kind to its unorthodox blend of stand-up comedy, sketch comedy, and talk show, which would later become staples of late night talk shows. The program also featured musical performances; a March 1984 episode of the show marked the network television debut of the

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

, who performed two songs from their debut album.

Retooling and cancellation

As the season progressed, and with several stations having dropped the show mid-season, it was retooled to more closely resemble Thicke's popular Canadian talk show. Original house band The Tom Canning Band was replaced by The John Tobin Band, the regulars were dropped, and Thicke's then-wife

Gloria Loring Gloria Loring-Lagler (born Gloria Jean Goff; December 10, 1946) is an American singer and actress. She is known for playing Liz Chandler on ''Days of Our Lives'' for six years (1980–86). She and singer-actor Carl Anderson performed the duet " ...

joined the cast, as did

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

-area talk-show host

Wally George Wally George (born George Walter Pearch; December 4, 1931 – October 5, 2003) was an American conservative radio and television commentator. Calling himself the "Father of Combat TV," he was a fixture on Southern California television for ...

, on a semi-regular basis. However, none of these changes helped boost the show's ratings, and at the end of the 1983–84 season, it was cancelled. Thicke said of the cancellation: "''Thicke of the Night'' was supposed to challenge Johnny Carson. They said it couldn't be done and I was the guy they chose to prove it. The show was ahead of its time... it should've been on in 2084, when all of us are dead." A year later, Thicke attained American TV stardom with the series ''

Growing Pains ''Growing Pains'' is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The show ran for seven seasons, consisting of 166 episodes. The series followed the misadventures of the Se ...

''. The show was later satirized in an '' SCTV'' skit as ''Maudlin O'The Night''. After the show's cancellation, it inspired a ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' skit, ''In Thickeness and In Health''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thicke Of The Night First-run syndicated television programs in the United States American late-night television shows 1980s American television talk shows 1980s American variety television series 1983 American television series debuts 1984 American television series endings English-language television shows Television series by Metromedia Television series by MGM Television

Debut

Retooling and cancellation

See also

References

External links