606: Staying Up For The Late Shift

This is an un-vaulting of EEHG 376. For this year's special This Week In TV History episode, we're journeying back to 1996 for February sweeps -- specifically, the week of February 21-27 -- and investigating all the starry stunts the networks AND premium cable channels were busting out to capture audiences. Leading (with its chin) is The Late Shift, HBO's TV movie take on Bill Carter's nonfiction book about Jay Leno and David Letterman's battle to replace Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show. Did these stupid human tricks enthrall us? Adam Sternbergh returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us to an all-CBS-Monday-sitcoms event featuring Elizabeth Taylor, a string of black pearls, and her new Black Pearls fragrance; the many non-Friends and Seinfeld sitcoms NBC tried to launch on Thursday nights in the 90s; ER's Season 2 episode "The Healers"; and the sci-fi drama Nowhere Man. Dave pitches "Homer The Smithers" from The Simpsons for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week of February 21-27's biggest Winner and Loser, it's on to a VERY questionable game time. Listen in -- you don't have to do it crouched next to a phone playing it in the next room, but you might be surprised by what you get out of it if you do!

GUESTS
👤 Adam Sternbergh

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🌙 The Late Shift
Around The Dial: 💎 CBS's Elizabeth Taylor Night
Around The Dial: 🪦 NBC's Must-See TV Graveyard
Around The Dial: 🏥 ER S02.E16: The Healers
Around The Dial: 🗺️ Nowhere Man
The Canon: 🥣 The Simpsons S07.E17: Homer The Smithers
Winner & Loser: 💯 Almost Perfect
Winner & Loser: 🖖 Over-invested Star Trek Fans
Game Time: 🤔 19 Questions: 1995-96 TV Season Edition

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
📚 Adam Sternbergh's website
📰 Dick Cavett's review of The Late Shift in the New York Times
🌴 Again With Again With This 161: Let's Watch Nicholle Tom In The Series Premiere Of The Nanny! [subscription required]
🫥 "10 Forgotten 90s Sitcoms That Still Work Today" at Cracked
👩🏻‍⚕️ Our ER draft episode
💯 Almost Perfect on Wikipedia
📷 Photo: HBO