aftershow
{{short description|TV talk show about another TV show}}
An aftershow or after-show is a genre of television talk show whose topic is another television program. An aftershow is typically broadcast immediately after a new episode of its corresponding program, to help retain the audience, and to provide additional discussion and content related to the program (such as analysis and behind-the-scenes material). Aftershows may also include guest appearances by a show's staff or cast, and emphasize viewer contributions. A similar, earlier concept in sports broadcasting is the post-game show.
Format
An aftershow's typical format, pioneered by Howard Stern's The Wrap-Up Show on Sirius Satellite Radio in 2006, is two or more people discussing a just-aired episode. This is sometimes accompanied by bonus material from the series, or special guests such as actors or creative staff.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/spotlight/tv-aftershows-talking-dead-after-the-thrones-1201787313/|title=TV's Aftershow Phenomenon: From 'Talking Dead' to 'After the Thrones'|last1=Kelley|first1=Seth|date=2 June 2016|work=Variety|accessdate=25 June 2016}} TV channels see aftershows as a cheap way to provide more content for avid fans of popular series, as a venue for interacting with fans directly, and to help provide additional context and analysis to the series' narrative and themes. Aftershows can also help a channel retain viewers after an episode airs.
Some aftershows—particularly those involving reality series—focus more on behind the scenes material, as well as interviews with eliminated and former contestants. Some of these examples, including American Idol Extra,{{Cite web |last=Reynolds |first=Mike |date=2009-01-28 |title=Fox Reality Gears Up For Fourth Season Of 'American Idol Extra' |url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/fox-reality-gears-fourth-season-american-idol-extra-364786 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=Multichannel News |language=en}} Britain's Got More Talent,{{cite news |title=Fans desperate to save Britain's Got More Talent after spin-off is pulled from TV |work=Radio Times |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-10-08/britains-got-more-talent-pulled-from-tv/ |access-date=8 November 2019}} Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two,{{Cite news |date=2021-05-18 |title=Zoe Ball leaves Strictly: It Takes Two |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-57020858 |access-date=2021-05-18}} and The Xtra Factor,{{cite news |last=Harrison |first=Ellie |date=19 January 2017 |title=X Factor spin-off Xtra Factor axed with no room for presenters Rylan Clark-Neal and Matt Edmondson as ITV focuses on digital strategy |work=Radio Times |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-01-19/itv-axes-x-factor-spin-off-the-xtra-factor-after-12-years |access-date=2 March 2017}} primarily aired on a sister channel to the network that carried the main program (such as BBC Two, ITV2, and the Fox Reality Channel). For its former coverage of the Indian Premier League in cricket, Sony Pictures Networks aired Extraaa Innings T20—which combined the aftershow concept with elements of a traditional sports post-game show by featuring both match analysis and entertainment segments such as celebrity interviews.{{Cite web |last=MediaInfoline |date=2015-04-10 |title='Extraaa Innings T20'- more than just cricket analysis |url=https://www.mediainfoline.com/sports/extraaa-innings-t20-more-than-just-cricket-analysis |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=Media Infoline |language=en-US}}{{cite web |title=Shah Rukh Khan to promote Chennai Express during IPL final |url=http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/shah-rukh-khan-to-promote-chennai-express-during-ipl-final-633314 |accessdate=24 May 2013 |website=NDTV}} The Channel 4 talk show The Last Leg with Adam Hills was originally conceived as an aftershow for its coverage of the 2012 Summer Paralympics,{{cite news |author=Emine Saner |date=24 August 2012 |title=Australian comedian Adam Hills: 'I was born without a foot. Dull. Move on' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2012/aug/24/adam-hills-comedian-disability-tv-paralympics |access-date=19 September 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London}}{{cite news |author=Metlikovec, Jane |date=19 June 2008 |title=Comedian Adam Hills to host Paralympics |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23888693-661,00.html |access-date=19 August 2008 |work=Herald Sun}} but proved successful enough to be renewed as a standalone series.{{Cite web |title=Exclusive – Adam Hills on The Last Leg's future, favourite guests over the years and filming without a studio audience |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/adam-hills-the-last-leg-return-exclusive/ |access-date=2022-12-15 |website=Radio Times |language=en}}
History
MTV Canada's The After Show was cited by the Toronto Star as an early predecessor to the aftershow format adopted in North America. The show was produced to accompany its airings of MTV's Laguna Beach, due to CRTC licensing requirements regarding the provision of Canadian content and talk show programming (the latter stemming from the service's early history in a previous format, TalkTV).{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/ctv-prepares-to-launch-new-mtv-canada/article18157071/|title=CTV prepares to launch 'new' MTV Canada|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=2019-03-09}} The show gained a steady following: MTV Canada began producing the show in front of a studio audience for the Laguna Beach finale, resulting in "thousands" of fans lining up outside of the channel's Toronto studio for a chance to attend. The format was extended to its sister series The Hills, and was later picked up to air on the U.S. MTV channel as well.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2016/05/19/from-toronto-to-westeros-the-birth-of-the-after-show.html|title=From Toronto to Westeros, the birth of the after show|website=The Toronto Star|date=19 May 2016 |language=en|access-date=2019-05-13}}
In 2009, Bravo premiered Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, a late-night talk show which primarily discusses Bravo's reality programming, and features viewer contributions such as questions. It also discusses other facets and headlines in popular culture, and expanded from a weekly to weeknight scheduling in 2011.{{cite web |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=November 21, 2011 |title=Bravo Expands Andy Cohen's Show to 5 Nights a Week |url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/bravo-expands-andy-cohens-show-to-five-nights-a-week/ |access-date=February 26, 2014 |work=Media Decoder (The New York Times)}}{{cite web |last=Stelter |first=Brian |date=September 4, 2009 |title=Cable Executive Gets a Taste of Reality TV |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/fashion/06cohen.html |access-date=February 26, 2014 |work=The New York Times}}
Following the example of Talking Dead, U.S. entertainment channels began to add aftershows to their most popular scripted series in the 2010s. Embassy Row—the Sony Pictures Television-owned studio who produces Talking Dead, would be commissioned by other networks for their some of their own aftershows, such as Shark After Dark Live (which it produced for Discovery's Shark Week event).{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/after-the-show-is-the-after-show--tv-networks-look-to-capitalize-on-biggest-hits/2013/08/08/bf5b5674-febe-11e2-9711-3708310f6f4d_story.html|title=After the show is the after-show — TV networks look to capitalize on biggest hits|last=Yahr|first=Emily|date=August 9, 2013|newspaper=Washington Post|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303101037/http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/after-the-show-is-the-after-show--tv-networks-look-to-capitalize-on-biggest-hits/2013/08/08/bf5b5674-febe-11e2-9711-3708310f6f4d_story.html |archive-date=2014-03-03 |access-date=}} In 2012, Maria Menounos launched AfterBuzz TV, a network of post-show podcasts devoted to various television series.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2012/tv/news/extra-host-launches-social-tv-venture-1118051046/|title='Extra' host launches social TV venture|last=Wallenstein|first=Andrew|date=2012-03-05|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2019-05-13}}
Notable aftershows
Parodies
Following the premiere of anime spoof Perfect Hair Forever in 2004, Adult Swim aired a Space Ghost Coast to Coast short—dubbed "Anime Talk Show", and also referred to as "Adult Swim Brain Trust"—in which Space Ghost attempts to conduct an aftershow discussion with Meatwad (of Aqua Teen Hunger Force), Early Cuyler (ofSquidbillies), and Sharko (of Sealab 2021). However, despite Space Ghost's repeated attempts to get them to talk about the show, the panel largely discusses the then-upcoming Squidbillies instead.
British comedian Peter Kay's 2008 reality television satire Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice featured an "aftershow"—Peter Kay's Britain's Got an Extra Pop Factor and Then Some 2 + 1—an epilogue which followed the aftermath of Geraldine McQueen's victory on Britain's Got the Pop Factor.{{Cite news |last=Chater |first=David |title=Unreported World; Gardeners' World; Oceans; Peter Kay's Britain's Got An Extra Pop Factor |newspaper=The Times |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/unreported-world-gardeners-world-oceans-peter-kays-britains-got-an-extra-pop-factor-7xl0hqv3t63 |access-date=2023-05-01 |issn=0140-0460}}
In 2015, when CBS aired reruns of its primetime dramas to fill the former timeslot of Late Show with David Letterman until the premiere of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Late Late Show with James Corden satirized the format with cold open sketches depicting aftershows such as Talking Mentalist and Talking Hawaii Five-0. One sketch also featured a metaparody, Talking Talking Mentalist—an aftershow for Talking Mentalist hosted by Corden's bandleader Reggie Watts.{{cite news|title=Late Night TV: James Corden giving CBS viewers reasons to smile|work=Orange County Register|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/corden-670133-late-colbert.html|accessdate=December 25, 2015}}{{Cite web|date=2015-06-05|title=Is James Corden's 'Talking Mentalist' Bit A Small Protest Over Scheduling, Or Is He Just Having Fun?|url=https://uproxx.com/tv/james-corden-talking-mentalist/|access-date=2019-05-13|website=Uproxx}}
The 2019 Fox comedy What Just Happened??! with Fred Savage is framed as an aftershow for the in-universe drama series The Flare.{{cite web|last=Porter|first=Rick|date=May 30, 2019|title=Fox's Aftershow Parody 'What Just Happened' Adds Co-Host, House Band (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/foxs-aftershow-parody-what-just-happened-adds-host-house-band-1214351|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531163417/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/foxs-aftershow-parody-what-just-happened-adds-host-house-band-1214351|archive-date=May 31, 2019|access-date=June 3, 2019|work=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en}} Its season (and ultimately, series) finale featured Savage's character reconciling with the cancellation of The Flare, and having to use his show to promote the teen drama Havenbrook instead.{{Cite web |date=2019-08-29 |title=TV best bets for the week of Sept. 1 |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/tv/tv-best-bets-for-the-week-of-sept-1-1837335/ |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal |language=en-US}}