Finding opportunities to be apart of an audience is fairly easy when living in LA. I live in Burbank, so I can toss a rock at the Warner Bros lot where shows like The Ellen Degeneres Show are taped. There are so many chances to see these shows since so many networks call LA their home. It’s a trend that is deeply engrained in the LA culture and it continues to move upward. This fall a new show entered the competitive world of late night television, The Pete Holmes Show. It’s on weeknights at Midnight/11c on TBS following Conan O’Brien and is filmed in Lot 10 of the Warner Bros Studio. I was able to get a front row seat for last weeks taping.
It was my first experience sitting in an audience. What was really exciting about it was being able to see a show in it’s beginning stages. There are definitely kinks in the show that need to be worked out if Pete Holmes wants to compete with the likes of Comedy Central’s @Midnight. Pete Holmes, before becoming a late night television show host, was a stand-up comedian. His nice-guy persona and original monologues are what I assumed would drive the show. Instead, the strongest aspects to the show were his pre-recorded sketches like the Professor X bit and his sit-down interviews with fellow comedians. He hasn’t exactly found his late night personality.
His safe-for-tv monologues fell a little flat, which is unexpected since it’s what he’s known for. I think he’s still trying to find his on-camera personality while the show itself is trying to create a routine format. Overall, it was a really fun, up-beat show. One that fits with the demographic that Conan captures beforehand. I think once the show gets on its feet and Pete Holmes really conquers his late night persona, the show will do really well. But you know what they say…”You’ve gotta walk before you can run.” One step at a time Pete, I believe in you!
Bri Baxter 