''Attack of the Show!'' (''AOTS'') is an American

live television Live television is a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. In a secondary meaning, it may refer to streaming television where all viewers watch the same stream simultaneously, rather than watching vide ...

program that aired on G4. AOTS features segments on

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video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

, and

movies A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

. After an initial run from 2005 to 2013 (which originally aired from 2005 until 2013, weeknights on G4, G4 Canada, Fuel TV, HOW TO Channel, and Maxxx), the show was revived in 2021 and canceled again when the network closed in 2022. The second incarnation of the program featured an ensemble cast, including returning original host Kevin Pereira, Kassem G, Fiona Nova, Gina Darling, Will Neff, and Austin Creed.

History

The show premiered on March 28, 2005, as a replacement for ''

The Screen Savers ''The Screen Savers'' is an American TV show that aired on TechTV from 1998 to 2005. The show launched concurrently with the channel ZDTV (later known as TechTV) on May 11, 1998. ''The Screen Savers'' originally centered on computers, new techn ...

''. The show originally aired live five days a week; the week of January 2, 2006, the show was truncated to air for only four days a week. Fridays featured a "Mash Up" that compiled segments from the week's four live shows. These segments often include skits, reviews, and general discussions. The show returned to live shows five days a week in September 2008, but G4 announced as of March 2, 2009, ''Attack of the Show!'' would go to four days a week with a "best of" show running in the Friday time-slot. ''Attack of the Show!'' aired its 1,000th episode in July 2009, which included a skit in which guest of the episode Alan Thicke kissed Olivia Munn. ''Attack of the Show!'' upgraded to high-definition on April 5, 2010, to coincide with its first-ever "Epic April" event of new premieres and stunts. Along with the addition of Candace Bailey, on January 1, 2011, ''Attack of the Show'' "respawned" with new graphics and a new set. On October 26, 2012, G4 canceled ''Attack of the Show!'' due to low ratings, five months after Kevin Pereira canceled his contract. The series taped its final scenes on December 21, 2012. On January 23, 2013, the final episode from the original run of ''Attack of the Show!'' aired. After a brief montage of clips from ''AOTS'' history and final goodbyes from the show's hosts and staff, the series ended with former ''Screen Savers'' hosts Patrick Norton and Leo Laporte in a coffee shop, acting as if the entire run of ''AOTS'' had been a dream. They then don "rocket packs" and fly off to work in a skyscraper adorned with the old

TechTV TechTV was an American cable television channel with a focus on technology. It was launched as ZDTV on May 11, 1998, by computer magazine publisher Ziff Davis, Ziff-Davis following two short-lived technology-based programs by the company. Init ...

logo, as the theme song of ''The Screen Savers'' plays. Afterwards, text came up on the screen against a gray background that read, "To our fans, our haters, and the Internet, thanks for seven kick-ass years. TTYL, Attack of the Show," with the ''Attack of the Show!'' theme playing at the end. On February 8, 2013, the first run of ''Attack of the Show!'' aired for the final time as a scheduled program on G4, with the final original episode being re-aired. On December 29, 2019, NBC's

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

-owned station KNTV aired a 30-minute special titled ''Best of Attack of the Show'' at 2:00am. While a slate at the top of the special said "This program originally aired on May 31, 2012," the special itself did not air on G4 that day, and it contained various clips from episodes past this date. NBC.com later put this special online, incorrectly citing that the special first aired on December 26, 2019. On January 28, 2021, a relaunching G4 announced that ''Attack of the Show!'' would be returning as well. Kevin Pereira was announced to be returning as host in February. The new incarnation of ''Attack of the Show!'' premiered on the network on November 18, 2021. A long-form-interview-only version called ''Attack of the Show: The Loop'' premiered on November 17, 2021, featuring

Adam Savage Adam Whitney Savage (born July 15, 1967) is an American special effects designer and manufacturer, fabricator, actor, educator, television personality, and producer, best known as the former co-host, with Jamie Hyneman, of the Discovery Channe ...

as guest. This version of the show was streamed on Wednesdays. Another version called ''Attack of the Show: Vibe Check'' premiered on November 23, 2021, which featured a rotating selection of hosts sitting at a table discussing various topics and answering viewer questions; this edition was streamed live on Tuesdays. The revival was canceled with G4's closure less than a year later.

Personnel

Attack of the Show at Comic Con by Gage Skidmore

The original hosts of ''Attack of the Show!'' were Kevin Pereira, Kevin Rose, Sarah Lane, and Brendan Moran, who were carried over from their roles on ''The Screen Savers''. Kevin Rose left G4 and ''AOTS'' on May 27, 2005. The show announced a search for a new host among the show's audience to replace Rose, and for several months various candidates auditioned on the air. In the end none of the candidates were actually selected, although this was never actually announced on the air. Sarah Lane, who had previously been a co-host and segment contributor, gradually took the role previously held by Rose alongside Pereira. She continued in this capacity until April 6, 2006, when she and Moran announced their engagement and stated that they would be leaving the show. Lane and Moran appeared on the show, via satellite, on July 13, 2006, to talk about their adventures. Olivia Munn was hired to replace Lane and began hosting with Pereira on April 10, 2006. Zach Selwyn, the runner up on

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

's ''

Dream Job ''Dream Job'' is an American reality television series made by ESPN, which premiered on February 22, 2004. It was the network's second reality show, with two editions of '' Beg, Borrow & Deal'' having previously aired. However, this was the firs ...

'', was hired to replace Moran and started his hosting duties a week later on April 17, 2006. In 2006, Layla Kayleigh also joined the show as a correspondent for ''The Feed'', a daily news segment. At this time, the hosts of ''AOTS'' were Pereira, Munn, Selwyn, and Kayleigh. Kayleigh left ''AOTS'' in 2009. At Comic-Con 2010, Munn said that she would not be leaving ''AOTS'', though she only occasionally appeared on the show for the rest of that year. She was still featured in the opening credits and other ''AOTS'' set pieces and transitions until December 6, 2010. Candace Bailey in AOTS taping

After the departure of Munn, ''AOTS'' featured several guest co-hosts including: Candace Bailey, Jessica Chobot, Alison Haislip, Carrie Keagan, Alessandra Torresani, Sara Underwood, Milynn Sarley, and Morgan Webb. Bailey became the new co-host with Pereira on January 11, 2011. ''AOTS'' has also featured

Chris Hardwick Christopher Ryan Hardwick (born November 23, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosted '' Talking Dead'', an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series '' ...

Chris Gore Christopher Patrick Gore (born September 5, 1965) is an American speaker and writer on the topic of independent film. He founded, edited and wrote for Film Threat magazine and website and other film sites. He was producer, writer or host for seve ...

, and Blair Herter in the occasional absence of Pereira. In addition to the interim cohosts, Grace Helbig has also filled in for Bailey. On May 9, 2012, Pereira announced on-air that he was officially leaving ''AOTS'' to pursue work in television production. He stated, "I plan to turn my attention to full-time with my production company Super Creative and live touring nerd-carnival leetUP." His last day on ''AOTS'' was May 31. Beginning August 28, 2012, the show debuted a final new opening credit, with no reference to permanent or guest hosts. Kevin Pereira would host the

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

'' Let's Ask America'', which premiered on September 17, 2012. The final regular hosts of the first run of ''AOTS'' were Candace Bailey and Sara Underwood. Pereira was announced to be returning to host the second run of ''Attack of the Show!'' on February 12, 2021. Kassem G, Fiona Nova, Gina Darling, and Will Neff were announced as co-hosts on November 11, 2021. They are regularly joined by Austin Creed, with other network hosts like Ovilee May, Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez, Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil, and AustinShow occasionally making appearances. As ''Attack of the Show'' was a Weekday show in its original incarnation, and thus never split into seasons, the current incarnation's Season 1 ended on August 11, 2022, announced as a Season Finale, with the new season beginning on August 31. Kevin Pereira's last day as a full-time host of Attack of the Show was on September 22, 2022, with an official handoff to new main host, Austin Creed. That run ended October 21, 2022.

Hosts and Correspondents

First run (2005–2013) * Kristin Adams, substitute co-host * Alison Haislip * Alex Albrecht for video game segments * Blair Butler for "Fresh Ink" * Jessica Chobot *

, anchor for "DVDuesday" * Anna David, host of "In Your Pants" * Blair Herter * Grace Helbig * Layla Kayleigh, anchor of "The Feed" *

for "Gadget Pr0n" * Sarah Lane * Matt Mira, "Gadget Pr0n" * Brendan Moran * Olivia Munn * Kevin Pereira * Candace Bailey *

Kevin Rose Robert Kevin Rose (born 1977) is an American entrepreneur, Internet entrepreneur who co-founded Revision3, Digg, Pownce, and Milk. He also served as production assistant and co-host at TechTV's ''The Screen Savers''. From 2012 to 2015, he was ...

* Tiffany Smith * Sara Underwood, anchor of "The Feed" * Tina Wood Summerford * Weston Scott Second run (2021–2022) * Austin Creed (a.k.a. Xavier Woods) * Gina Darling * Kassem G, host of "Fresh Ink" * Will Neff, host of "What's Will Watching" * Fiona Nova, anchor of "The Feed" * Kevin Pereira

Segments

* "AOTS Classics" * "AOTS LAN Party" * "Around the Net" * "Attack This!" * "Blog Watch" * "Damn Good Website" * "Damn Good Download" * "Dark Deals" * "Dark Tips" * "DVDuesday" * "EB Games Top 10" * "Epic Fail" * "First 50" * "Free Play Friday" * "Fresh Ink" * "Gadget Pr0n" * "Game Break" * "Gems of the Internet" * "In Your Pants" * "User Created" * "Web Classics" * "It Came from eBay" * "Jimmy the Geek" * "The Feed" * "The Loop" * "The Cooldown" (livestream only) * "TLDR Theatre" * "What's Will Watching" * "Olivia's Rack"

References

External links