I wanted to take a full day and gauge the reaction of the media critics who would write reviews on Joe Buck's new HBO show "Joe Buck Live" before giving you my thoughts.
After watching Monday night's show, I've come to the conclusion that it was only okay. I mentioned in yesterday's column that Bob Costas - who Buck was replacing - is the gold standard when it comes to sports interviewing. Buck - a great play by play man - is no Costas when it comes to his interviews.
I thought Buck did a decent job of getting Brett Favre to open up. Not only did Favre tell everyone what was going through his mind as far as his playing future is concerned, but he had the veteran quarterback so comfortable that he (accidentally) dropped a word you can't use on free television. As an interviewer myself (and someone who has had to work at it), one of my goals was always to have my guest comfortable enough that he would tell me things without really realizing it. From that standpoint, Buck did what he was supposed to do.
Chad Ochocinco provided some light moments, and Michael Irvin was Michael Irvin. HBO should have ended the show right there.
The segment that killed the show was the segment that included Howard Stern sidekick Artie Lange, Paul Rudd, and Jason Sudeikis . If you missed this, take a look right here. But I warn you, it isn't for the faint of heart.
Lange was at his raunchy best, taking shots at almost everyone, including Buck. Everyone on that panel, including Buck, was clearly uncomfortable with what Lange was doing. The segment led to reviews like this one from USA Today, and this one from the New York Daily News. The reviewers weren't kind, and they pointed the finger of blame at Lange.
I have a problem with Buck's show (which I will get to later), but it has nothing to do with Lange. I thought he was funny at times on Monday night, and there were times that I thought he was trying too hard, which led to most of the uncomfortable moments.
Lange isn't everyone's cup of tea. He has a colorful life (I'm being kind) off the air, and it has an influence on his act. He's funny, but he's also the guy that you hang out with once in a while that you kind of wish would shut the hell up. Think Andrew Dice Clay in his prime twenty-something years ago.
The critics want to say Lange's segment sunk the show. Why not point blame at either Buck or his producers?
Buck's producers had to know who Lange was and what he was capable of doing. He never should have been booked on the show. Buck clearly wanted to give his buddy Rudd a plug, and he wanted to pump up Sudeikis for his work on SNL. There was no need for a third comic on that stage, especially someone who can be as destructive as Lange can.
Buck also deserves to take a little bit of the blame as well. I can't say for sure, but I honestly don't know how familiar Buck was with what Lange can do. He seemed surprised by many of Lange's haymakers (he shouldn't have been). Had Buck been ready for it, he might have been able to put a stop to it before it got out of hand.
Not only did Buck seem unprepared for Lange, but he doesn't have the presence - as an interviewer - to keep Lange in line. That's because he hasn't done this kind of show long enough to build that presence. Doing this kind of show is much different than doing play by play, and Buck found that out on Monday night.
That being said, the biggest problem I had with the show was the fact that it tried too hard to be a combination of sports and pop culture. HBO tried to emulate what Costas had done for them, and if the first effort was any indication, they need to re-think their strategy.
Costas was able to get away with talk to athletes, coaches, and celebrities from all walks of life because he had the experience to do that. He did a late night show for NBC which didn't always focus on sports. Costas also filled in for Larry King on CNN, where his subject matter was rarely sports.
In other words, Costas was well rounded enough to pull it off. Buck, who has a long resume in the sports world, does not.
HBO made a mistake here. They need to go back to the drawing board and figure out what Buck does best. Once they do that, they need to play to his strengths.
It's like any other talk show, whether it's on radio or television. The producers and programmers are charged with directing the show and playing to their man's strengths.
HBO did not do that Monday night. The good news is they can fix this. The bad news is it might be too late.
After watching Monday night's show, I've come to the conclusion that it was only okay. I mentioned in yesterday's column that Bob Costas - who Buck was replacing - is the gold standard when it comes to sports interviewing. Buck - a great play by play man - is no Costas when it comes to his interviews.
I thought Buck did a decent job of getting Brett Favre to open up. Not only did Favre tell everyone what was going through his mind as far as his playing future is concerned, but he had the veteran quarterback so comfortable that he (accidentally) dropped a word you can't use on free television. As an interviewer myself (and someone who has had to work at it), one of my goals was always to have my guest comfortable enough that he would tell me things without really realizing it. From that standpoint, Buck did what he was supposed to do.
Chad Ochocinco provided some light moments, and Michael Irvin was Michael Irvin. HBO should have ended the show right there.
The segment that killed the show was the segment that included Howard Stern sidekick Artie Lange, Paul Rudd, and Jason Sudeikis . If you missed this, take a look right here. But I warn you, it isn't for the faint of heart.
Lange was at his raunchy best, taking shots at almost everyone, including Buck. Everyone on that panel, including Buck, was clearly uncomfortable with what Lange was doing. The segment led to reviews like this one from USA Today, and this one from the New York Daily News. The reviewers weren't kind, and they pointed the finger of blame at Lange.
I have a problem with Buck's show (which I will get to later), but it has nothing to do with Lange. I thought he was funny at times on Monday night, and there were times that I thought he was trying too hard, which led to most of the uncomfortable moments.
Lange isn't everyone's cup of tea. He has a colorful life (I'm being kind) off the air, and it has an influence on his act. He's funny, but he's also the guy that you hang out with once in a while that you kind of wish would shut the hell up. Think Andrew Dice Clay in his prime twenty-something years ago.
The critics want to say Lange's segment sunk the show. Why not point blame at either Buck or his producers?
Buck's producers had to know who Lange was and what he was capable of doing. He never should have been booked on the show. Buck clearly wanted to give his buddy Rudd a plug, and he wanted to pump up Sudeikis for his work on SNL. There was no need for a third comic on that stage, especially someone who can be as destructive as Lange can.
Buck also deserves to take a little bit of the blame as well. I can't say for sure, but I honestly don't know how familiar Buck was with what Lange can do. He seemed surprised by many of Lange's haymakers (he shouldn't have been). Had Buck been ready for it, he might have been able to put a stop to it before it got out of hand.
Not only did Buck seem unprepared for Lange, but he doesn't have the presence - as an interviewer - to keep Lange in line. That's because he hasn't done this kind of show long enough to build that presence. Doing this kind of show is much different than doing play by play, and Buck found that out on Monday night.
That being said, the biggest problem I had with the show was the fact that it tried too hard to be a combination of sports and pop culture. HBO tried to emulate what Costas had done for them, and if the first effort was any indication, they need to re-think their strategy.
Costas was able to get away with talk to athletes, coaches, and celebrities from all walks of life because he had the experience to do that. He did a late night show for NBC which didn't always focus on sports. Costas also filled in for Larry King on CNN, where his subject matter was rarely sports.
In other words, Costas was well rounded enough to pull it off. Buck, who has a long resume in the sports world, does not.
HBO made a mistake here. They need to go back to the drawing board and figure out what Buck does best. Once they do that, they need to play to his strengths.
It's like any other talk show, whether it's on radio or television. The producers and programmers are charged with directing the show and playing to their man's strengths.
HBO did not do that Monday night. The good news is they can fix this. The bad news is it might be too late.
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