Last Comic Standing 2: The Fallout Continues
Recap By C.C. McCandless
June 18, 2004
Wednesday's episode of Last Comic Standing on NBC left millions of viewers in a variety of emotional states. Some are confused about what happened, while others are simply incensed. Many of you took the time and consideration to make your feelings known by writing to us here at Reality TV Calendar.
Here are just a few responses we have received:
"Can they morally still state that they are searching for America's funniest comic, if that is not the only criterion used?"
This is an excellent point, and one that is at the crux of the whole controversy. It boils down to a simple question without a clear answer-is NBC running a talent/game show or a reality show? Clearly, the answer is "both." But they have been disingenuous about their casting process from day one. It is apparent that house chemistry and connections to the producers have at least as much to do with who made the final ten as comedic performance. NBC might have been better served to simply cast the show themselves, stocking the Hollywood house with ten comedians of their choosing. This would have helped the network avert any debate about the casting process. By now we know that most reality shows elect to cast certain types of people on their programs.
Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) is very forthright about this aspect of his shows-and he's also brilliant at it. If NBC had done this instead, they would have had exactly who they wanted in the house without the appearance of impropriety. But they'd also have fewer episodes and not nearly as much free advertising.
Luke Fulkerson writes "Maybe those who are as equally disgusted with network tampering will boycott the remainder of the series in protest. The network made these decisions for ratings I assume, so hit 'em where it hurts."
This is an interesting point. Luke is not the only person who has written in suggesting a boycott. A multitude of viewers were certainly turned off by the events of Wednesday's episode. However, there are a couple of things to consider. First, NBC chose to include the reactions of Drew Carey and Brett Butler. They easily could have edited this portion out entirely. They didn't. They WANTED the viewers to see this. Last Comic Standing now has a bigger stature than it ever has before, and more people are aware of it, for whatever reason. Due to that alone, I don't think that the ratings will suffer. Most people who watched before will continue to do so, and the pre-show hubbub about Wednesday's episode might have drawn new fans who had never tuned in before. We'll have to keep an eye on the ratings to see how this ends up, but it may, in fact, be a stroke of genius by NBC.
Max Gasker asks an interesting question: "Can I sue because they are promoting FUNNIEST PERSON IN AMERICA?"
Good question. Many viewers feel that some of the funniest contestants didn't reach the house. But it goes even deeper than that. The word is that several other established (and funny) comics auditioned for the show and weren't shown at all. We're talking about name comics like Brian Regan and Sarah Silverman. Why weren't they shown? Because obviously they were funnier than some of the ten finalists, and millions more viewers would be echoing Drew Carey's sentiment: "I call bullshit."
One proposal is to have this show set up like a stand-up comedy version of American Idol, with participants performing each week and having America vote. This could certainly work, but the remainder of the show this season (and last year) is already similar to that. Audiences do vote on who will advance from now on. Last year, eventual winner Dat Phan was hit with a huge backlash when he won the competition, with one of the main criticisms being that he simply didn't have enough material. If America voted each week, Idol-style, then a comedian would know in advance that he would need to keep his stuff fresh every week. This is reason enough to consider making such a change.
Seth Hecht asks, "What happened with Jim Norton, do you have any other information on that? He would have been great in the house."
Jim Norton runs his own on-line blog and I was unable to find anything to shed light on the situation, other than the "other contractual commitments" line. Some people seem to think that the conflict was due to his MTV contract, as he did some work for their Spring Break programming. But since Norton was handed the only available slot in Tampa, it appears that he might have been hand-picked by NBC to make it to the house. If they're looking for drama and tension, he would have been perfect there. Now we'll have to watch Todd Glass pick on Ant instead of Norton.
Larry Frank poses an interesting query as well. "Do you think Drew Carey really didn't know and if so is there legal action he could take??
I definitely don't think that Carey knew. His backstage reaction was sincere, and he was clearly shocked and outraged. As for legal action, I'd bet that NBC buried the information in a contract that Carey signed, just as they show in the end credits, that producers would make the decisions "in conjunction" with celebrity judges. I do feel that the show probably used some creative editing to make Carey appear much more accepting of Peter Engel's explanation than he actually was. I am still baffled at Engel's statement that there were eight people voting, and the demeanor in which he said it, as if the fact was common knowledge. If that's true, why not have those four people front-and-center as well? And show their votes? Then, at the very least, outraged viewers would have a direct target for venting their feelings of frustration and fury.
At any rate, it's over now. Next week's ratings will show whether this was a triumph or a disaster for NBC. But it's safe to assume that if Last Comic Standing returns for a third season, we'll see some major changes next time around, due largely to viewer reaction. At the very least, that would be a small victory for the fuming fans.
C.C. McCandless is an independent filmmaker and freelance writer. He has a Bachelor’s degree in broadcasting from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
You can contact C.C. here: ccmcc33@msn.com
