As the coronavirus crisis grinds on, it’s easy to feel bombarded by bad news, grim reports of fatalities, alarming predictions and a general sense of existential despair. So, you know – what a great time to try and entertain us! That’s the challenge late-night hosts, “Saturday Night Live,” syndicated daytime talk shows, and more have been grappling with, not always gracefully.
Since mid-March, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Trevor Noah, Conan O’Brien, Samantha Bee, John Oliver and others responded to the production shutdown of their late-night shows by pivoting to do-it-yourself efforts done from their homes.
They’ve got plenty of company. As people stay home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, we’ve all had lots of time — so much time -- to stare at endless close-ups of TV personalities conducting video conference interviews, on news shows, morning shows, and on and on.
Series that had already filmed before the shutdown look like typical TV. But as time goes on, we’ve stumbled into the “live” portion of shows like “American Idol” and “The Voice.” Following the episodes taped in the pre-pandemic times, “American Idol” was forced to show host Ryan Seacrest, and judges Katy Perry (who sported a jumbo-sized bottle of hand sanitizer as her costume), Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan weighing in from their respective homes. The singers were also shown performing from remote locations. “The Voice” had to move to a similar model.
"American Idol" has begun airing remotely filmed episodes. (Photo: ABC) ABC
It’s not easy to keep things light when everything beyond the screen seems so uncertain and nerve-wracking. The strain sometimes shows, which is strangely reassuring. The flubs have a way of making these handsomely paid professionals seem more relatable, whether it’s Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb dishing about guest Matthew McConaughey as the actor overheard them prior to his “Today” show appearance, or Colbert and guest John Mulaney sharing stories about what they tell their respective therapists. They both see therapists? Who knew?
The funkiness of it all in a way seems like a throwback to the early days of TV, when productions were done live, mistakes and all. Admittedly, modern technology makes the remote shows possible, but when glitches happen, and we see people talking out of sync, unexpected freezes, and Bill Maher not being able to hear a guest on “Real Time,” our modern world feels pretty imperfect.
In some ways, remote TV has its bright spots. Fallon, for one, looks more comfortable doing his home edition of “The Tonight Show,” with his daughters running around. Like Fallon, Noah seems liberated not to be sitting at “The Daily Show” desk, instead wearing a comfy hoodie and delivering his monologue from his apartment.
Kimmel’s interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the more memorable TV exchanges this year, as Kimmel wore a princess-y getup and makeup applied by his daughter, while Schwarzenegger’s miniature horse and pet donkey kept crowding into the frame.
It’s also been a looky-loo’s delight to get a peek at celebrities’ homes, whether it’s James Corden doing “The Late Late Show” from his garage, or Seth Meyers staking out his attic for the remote version of “Late Night,” in which the stack of books behind him gets changed periodically (why was “The Thorn Birds” there for so long, anyway?).
While it’s been odd to hear comedians deliver monologues to silence, instead of a studio full of laughing audiences, at least they’re trying to find some humor amid a public health crisis and economic meltdown.
If there’s one thing we can count on amid all this uncertainty, it’s that ancient entertainment cliché – the show must go on. There’s a lot to be said for the comfort that comes from seeing musicians belting it out during Lady Gaga’s “One World: Together At Home” concert, the “Parks and Recreation” gang getting back together for a special fundraising episode, late-night hosts promoting charitable contributions, Jon Batiste playing the piano as “A Late Show With Stephen Colbert” episodes end, and Kate McKinnon doing a “Whiskers R We” sketch with her cat on the second “Saturday Night Live” remote episode.
Times are tough. And we don’t know when they’ll improve. But seeing McKinnon having fun with her oblivious feline companion makes everything better. At least for a few minutes.
More of our coverage:
-- Kristi Turnquist
kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist
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At-home shows, funky backgrounds, cute cat cameos: How TV tries to entertain us amid the coronavirus crisis - OregonLive
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