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The Dennis Miller Show
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The Dennis Miller Show
The Dennis Miller Show is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Dennis Miller. The show launched in January 1992 and was hosted by the former Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchor as an attempt by syndicator Tribune Entertainment Company to carve out a niche in the late-night television landscape; an opportunity to do so was anticipated due to Johnny Carson's retirement from The Tonight Show that May and his replacement by Jay Leno. Miller's show was unable to build a significant audience, however, and was cancelled after seven months.
The show was taped at Tribune's KTLA Studios, 5800 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
From the January 1989 launch of Arsenio Hall's Paramount-syndicated late-night show, its immediate ability to carve out a niche and compete against the legacy late night leader, Johnny Carson's Tonight Show on NBC, turned a lot of heads. Having observed the show's success with younger viewers as well as in attracting an audience entirely new to late night, the Chicago-based first-run syndicator Tribune Entertainment Company (that had mostly been known for its daytime programs Geraldo and The Joan Rivers Show) felt the conditions for a competitive entry of their own entry in the late night race—an arena dominated by Carson for decades—were finally in place.
In 1990, Tribune Entertainment Company pursued Garry Shandling for a syndicated late-night talk show through the talent agency that represented him, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment. When Shandling turned down the offer, Brillsten-Grey recommended Dennis Miller, another one of their clients.
The drive for Tribune to create a new show increased in May 1991, when Johnny Carson announced he would be retiring from The Tonight Show. As it became apparent that Jay Leno would take Carson's place, and as the time slot was at that point only contested by The Arsenio Hall Show, Tribune felt that if Leno could not hold onto Carson's fans they might migrate to a newer show. Miller was approached with an offer where Tribune Entertainment would distribute the show and Miller would co-produce it with the Brillstein-Grey Company. Miller and the others involved felt even more secure in their position when Leno was picked to replace Carson over Late Night host David Letterman, who ended up getting his own show at CBS, Late Show with David Letterman.
On January 20, 1992, following his departure from Saturday Night Live, Miller launched the late-night TV talk show The Dennis Miller Show, syndicated by Tribune Entertainment. The Dennis Miller Show continued in the tradition of "alternative" talk shows, starting with Late Night with David Letterman, which debuted on NBC in 1982. The show remained faithful to the classic talk-show format with a desk and three or four guests a night, while Miller carried forward the spirit of his SNL Weekend Update with a newscast segment that aired on Fridays. In support of the show's premiere, Tribune made use of extensive advertising in trade publications and on-air promotions and also used a billboard promotion on Sunset Boulevard.
Nick Bakay was the announcer, and Andy Summers, formerly of the band The Police, led the house band. The show's staff boasted a mix of past and future performers, writers, and producers of note including Mark Brazill (That '70s Show), Eddie Feldmann, David Kohan and Max Mutchnick (creators of Will & Grace), Norm Macdonald, Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show), John Riggi, Herb Sargent (Saturday Night Live), Drake Sather, Dave Thomas (Second City TV), and Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick (writers of The Santa Clause and Space Jam).
Guests included Mountain (with Leslie West and Corky Laing), Toad the Wet Sprocket (who made their national television debut on the show), Henry Rollins (who appeared repeatedly to chat with Miller and perform spoken word), Primus (who while performing "Tommy the Cat", had to deal with a member of the audience who jumped onstage—whom Miller playfully tried to "tackle"), King's X (who performed two songs, "Black Flag" and "It's Love" to empty seats in the studio due to the 1992 Los Angeles riots), and comedian Bill Hicks.
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The Dennis Miller Show
The Dennis Miller Show is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Dennis Miller. The show launched in January 1992 and was hosted by the former Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchor as an attempt by syndicator Tribune Entertainment Company to carve out a niche in the late-night television landscape; an opportunity to do so was anticipated due to Johnny Carson's retirement from The Tonight Show that May and his replacement by Jay Leno. Miller's show was unable to build a significant audience, however, and was cancelled after seven months.
The show was taped at Tribune's KTLA Studios, 5800 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
From the January 1989 launch of Arsenio Hall's Paramount-syndicated late-night show, its immediate ability to carve out a niche and compete against the legacy late night leader, Johnny Carson's Tonight Show on NBC, turned a lot of heads. Having observed the show's success with younger viewers as well as in attracting an audience entirely new to late night, the Chicago-based first-run syndicator Tribune Entertainment Company (that had mostly been known for its daytime programs Geraldo and The Joan Rivers Show) felt the conditions for a competitive entry of their own entry in the late night race—an arena dominated by Carson for decades—were finally in place.
In 1990, Tribune Entertainment Company pursued Garry Shandling for a syndicated late-night talk show through the talent agency that represented him, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment. When Shandling turned down the offer, Brillsten-Grey recommended Dennis Miller, another one of their clients.
The drive for Tribune to create a new show increased in May 1991, when Johnny Carson announced he would be retiring from The Tonight Show. As it became apparent that Jay Leno would take Carson's place, and as the time slot was at that point only contested by The Arsenio Hall Show, Tribune felt that if Leno could not hold onto Carson's fans they might migrate to a newer show. Miller was approached with an offer where Tribune Entertainment would distribute the show and Miller would co-produce it with the Brillstein-Grey Company. Miller and the others involved felt even more secure in their position when Leno was picked to replace Carson over Late Night host David Letterman, who ended up getting his own show at CBS, Late Show with David Letterman.
On January 20, 1992, following his departure from Saturday Night Live, Miller launched the late-night TV talk show The Dennis Miller Show, syndicated by Tribune Entertainment. The Dennis Miller Show continued in the tradition of "alternative" talk shows, starting with Late Night with David Letterman, which debuted on NBC in 1982. The show remained faithful to the classic talk-show format with a desk and three or four guests a night, while Miller carried forward the spirit of his SNL Weekend Update with a newscast segment that aired on Fridays. In support of the show's premiere, Tribune made use of extensive advertising in trade publications and on-air promotions and also used a billboard promotion on Sunset Boulevard.
Nick Bakay was the announcer, and Andy Summers, formerly of the band The Police, led the house band. The show's staff boasted a mix of past and future performers, writers, and producers of note including Mark Brazill (That '70s Show), Eddie Feldmann, David Kohan and Max Mutchnick (creators of Will & Grace), Norm Macdonald, Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show), John Riggi, Herb Sargent (Saturday Night Live), Drake Sather, Dave Thomas (Second City TV), and Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick (writers of The Santa Clause and Space Jam).
Guests included Mountain (with Leslie West and Corky Laing), Toad the Wet Sprocket (who made their national television debut on the show), Henry Rollins (who appeared repeatedly to chat with Miller and perform spoken word), Primus (who while performing "Tommy the Cat", had to deal with a member of the audience who jumped onstage—whom Miller playfully tried to "tackle"), King's X (who performed two songs, "Black Flag" and "It's Love" to empty seats in the studio due to the 1992 Los Angeles riots), and comedian Bill Hicks.