A short chapter in Chevy Chase’s illustrious comedy career was his ill-fated late night talk series, “The Chevy Chase Show.” The series aired for six weeks on FOX in 1993, but was canceled after receiving scathing reviews and poor ratings.
In CNN’s new documentary, “I Am Chevy Chase, You’re Not,” Chase opens up about his experience as a talk show host and the disappointment that followed. “I never took anyone’s advice on how to run a talk show. I kept thinking I could do it,” he said in a written statement. “It was horrible. I had no idea what they were doing on a talk show.”
Chase representatives and collaborators explained in the documentary that the show, which launched on September 7, 1993, failed because it had an “old-school” television producer and needed a new vision. Additionally, although Chase was a talented comedic actor and movie star, he lacked a talent for stand-up comedy.
Chase’s eldest daughter, Sydney, recalled visiting her father on the set of his talk show. “He seemed nervous to me,” she said.
Andy Aaron, a writer on “The Chevrolet Chase Show,” recalled, “The reviews were generally terrible, and Chevrolet would literally come into the writers’ room and say, “You guys are doing a great job. It’s not your fault, it’s my fault.”
“I don’t know how Letterman and other people do it,” Chase said. “That’s beyond me. You can say, ‘Well, it’s interesting that there are people who are different…’ Well, we’re all the same, pretty much the same. It’s not that interesting.”
Staff learned that the show was canceled by Fox at the end of Chevrolet’s 50th birthday party. CAA coach Michael Ovitz, who was Chase’s agent at the time, asked Chase if he wanted to go for a few more weeks. “‘A few weeks?'” Chase jokingly recalled. “I think it’s over.”
Chase’s daughters spoke out about Chase’s mental health issues after the series was cancelled. “It was kind of a weird atmosphere after his talk show,” Sidney Chase said. “I know my dad has depression. I’ve known it since I was little. It was kind of hard for me because I’d come into the house and tug on his shirt and he’d say, ‘Not now, honey.’
Chase’s daughter Kaylee added, “What was interesting about our family was that my parents were pretty open about deeper things, depending on their age. They communicated enough to say, ‘Hey, I have this thing called depression, and it’s hard for me to get out of bed.'”
“He just went to bed and wouldn’t come out,” Chase’s wife, Jani, added. “I didn’t understand why.”
Chase appeared in several films after his talk show ended, eventually reviving his career by playing Pierce Hawthorne on the NBC sitcom Community, which aired from 2009 to 2014.
In 1993, “The Chevrolet Chase Show” debuted at the height of late-night television’s frenzy. Johnny Carson’s retirement from “The Tonight Show” a year ago opened up an opportunity for Arsenio Hall, who was already hosting the successful syndicated late-night hitter “Arsenio,” which instantly attracted a young, multicultural audience in the big city. “Arsenio,” distributed by Paramount, was the first competitor to play against Carson, who shocked audiences by constantly moving around.
The FOX network saw the success of “Arsenio” and decided to venture into late-night programming. This was Fox’s second attempt to gain a foothold in late night. The Fox Broadcasting Company was born in October 1986 when Joan Rivers was named host of “The Late Show” in hopes of competing with Carson, one of her longtime guest hosts. However, Rebirth’s show had a turbulent run and was canceled by May 1987. It was temporarily replaced by the quirky, original “Daily Show” newsmagazine style “Wilton North Report.” That show lasted about three months. Fox has since moved away from its late-night slot and shifted its focus to prime time, gaining traction with hits like “Married With Children” and “21 Jump Street.”
Five years later, Carson’s retirement sparked a Leno-Letterman battle that ended with Leno winning the Tonight Show title and Letterman launching a new series on CBS. Letterman’s “The Late Show” began with a bang on CBS on August 30, 1993, after Letterman famously had to wait out the remainder of his contract as host of NBC’s post-“Tonight Show” time slot, “Late Night with David Letterman.” (The vacant slot on “Late Night” was ultimately given to Conan O’Brien, and the show was famously renewed every six weeks for the first few months.)
So Chase was added to the mix and will play against Leno and Letterman. Both players were on a roll to prove they were the best in this time frame. This entire commotion soon became known in media and pop culture as the “Midnight War.”
The short-lived arrival of Chase’s show on the Fox network marked the end of Hall’s show in syndication. That’s because many of the stations that aired Hall’s programs in major markets were Fox affiliates. When the FOX network decided to air “Chevy Chase,” their affiliates were pressured to drop Hall’s programming to make way for the network’s offering. Most of them were. Despite Chase’s quick hook, the damage was done. “Arsenio” aired its final episode on May 27, 1994.
“I’m Chevy Chase, You’re Not” first aired on CNN on January 1st.
Watch the first episode of “The Chevy Chase Show” on YouTube
