Quality entertainment went out the window many years ago. I subscribe to five of the streaming services, and nine times out of 10 I find myself watching old shows that I used to enjoy because, as a writer, the new stuff is practically unwatchable. Story structure, great humor, universal truths all go out the window in sacrifice to “the agenda” and “the message,” which is often convoluted.
I have friends who are entertainment industry writers, and we have talked about how most of the stuff on Netflix is always 45 minutes too long for the sole purpose of their being able to insert the WOKE messaging. So, any arc of the story gets lost and the audience has tuned out and then turns it off before getting to a satisfying ending—if one even exists (spoiler alert: it generally doesn’t).
For that reason, “Burn Notice,” and “Frazier” have been a part of my recent binge-watching. The pleasure of a good story, excellent pacing, and sound structure that draws you in, then leaves you wanting more cannot be overstated. Both of these shows ended more than 10 years ago, but they still hold up because of those basics. It’s nice to recall when grabbing your audience’s attention and taking them along for the ride was sacrosanct to quality writing. Now, THE MESSAGE is all. And as you read on these pages, the message is rarely good.
All that to say, the fact that the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) has chosen to go on strike is affecting me very little. Save for a few shows like “Ted Lasso” and “Blue Bloods,” there will be no major holes in my television watching. Late nights will also not be affected. Establishment Hollywood is locked in with the WGA, so the late-night wokesters at “Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel,” “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” all went dark on Tuesday. No new shows will be produced until the strike is resolved. “The Late Late Show” with its last host James Corden, closed up shop after 28 years because it was bleeding money.
Too bad, not sad. The ratings for these propaganda arms for the Left and the Democrats are in the basement anyway, proving the only thing being missed by their writing staff is the free dinners.
Prove me wrong.
Here’s the good news: The No. 1 late-night host will not be going dark because he doesn’t have to.
From The Wrap:
Fox News’ new late-night juggernaut “Gutfeld!” will keep cranking episodes during the writer’s strike, the only network-based late-night show to stay on the air – and its viewers shouldn’t notice any difference.
That’s because “Gutfeld!” writers are non-guild, according to the network, and are not participating in Hollywood’s first labor stoppage in 15 years. The late-night broadcast writers for Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers are all members of the Writer’s Guild of America, and all went dark on Tuesday.
While on the one hand, I support the WGA-bound writers doing what they need to do to get the pay and benefits they feel they deserve, I also support entrepreneurs who choose to go their own way. Some of us do not wish to be locked into a union for that very reason. We’d rather make it rain ourselves, rather than be dependent on begging bureaucrats for sprinklers. This is why unions are often more barrier than blessing: because they create obstacles to people working as they choose.
In an August 2022 interview Gutfeld had with Adam Carolla, he discussed how many entertainment writers would love to do his show, but…
“My problem.
“They don’t want to be blackballed in Hollywood. I can’t tell you how many examples I have of this, of, I ‘love your show, can’t do it.’ Then there’s the interference that’s run by the team, the publicists. Somebody can be totally into it—it’s always the publicists.
“So, whose running the mob on this one? Is it other hosts, or is it some kind of phantom?”
If this strike lasts longer than the 2007 one (100 days), we may well find out. So, Gutfeld pulls in his conservative writer friends for the show, and they steer clear of the WGA-mandated restrictions.
But “Gutfeld!” will continue as if nothing happened. That’s fortunate for Fox, which re-launched the late-night entrant two years ago to wild success; “Gutfeld!” often out-paces its broadcast late-night competitors in total viewers (though its shifted air-time and demographic frailties means it’s not a clean, apples-to-apples comparison).
“Gutfeld!” represents the spirit of entrepreneurship. You forge ahead, you blaze your own trail, and you keep doing what you do best—inform people and make them laugh. When I saw Charlie Kirk interview Greg Gutfeld at AmFest 2022, he had this to say about why his shows continue to be a draw.
Kirk asked Gutfeld what drew people to his comedy program and The Five. Gutfeld said the secret to the chemistry of both programs’ lineup is the ribbing, the teasing, and that they can all make fun of themselves and each other.
“If you can’t make fun of somebody, and laugh at somebody, you have no chemistry. Dana [Perino], and Jesse [Watters], and myself [The Five] Kat Timpf and Tyrus [Gutfeld!], are really well-oiled machines,” he said.
“This is what is killing the Left: if you take yourself seriously, no one wants to be around you. The right is used to being made fun of. You can’t make fun of them.”
Nothing says you take yourself too seriously more than trying to control how people pursue their work and what they receive in exchange for their work because it doesn’t fit into an approved narrative and you think you know what’s best. The spirit of entrepreneurship that Greg Gutfeld represents is being destroyed thanks to an adversarial Biden administration and its weaponization of the United States Department of Labor. We’ve covered the clear and present danger of these attempts, here, here, here, and here, so I won’t belabor the point. If you’ve read my articles long enough, you know what’s at stake.
“Gutfeld!” not only gets the chance to maintain its No. 1 late-night status but up its creative quotient by drawing in people who normally would not tune into the show. “Gutfeld!” remaining on the airwaves will not just draw people (in some cases out of sheer boredom) but it will also cut through the propaganda noise peddled by the trifecta of Colbert-Fallon-Kimmel. Perhaps for the first time, people will actually get a different perspective on the news and culture, or hear about an issue that the nattering nabobs choose to ignore.
As I said yesterday in my opinion on the Vice Media bankruptcy, it’s about style over substance, and substance stands the test of time—this is being proven out by old shows like “Burn Notice” and “Frazier” still drawing me in to watch, root for the characters, and laugh. Flashy production, chaotic subjects, and freebies only take you so far. I recall before we left Los Angeles that “Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel” was practically begging for audience members—and this was before COVID. So, actual content that matters to the audience, talent that can deliver that content, and fun and fresh voices rule the day, will keep audiences coming back, and will bring in new converts.
Rock on, Greg Gutfeld!
Here’s Greg Gutfeld’s August 2022 interview with Adam Carolla where he talks about the difficulties in finding writers and why Gutfeld! has been successful because it launches the success of talented and funny people, rather than attempting to draw in celebrities.
WATCH:
Join the conversation as a VIP Member