| Excess of Talent |
31 March 2003
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Talk Show Oasis in TV's Daytime Desert
If TV is a vast wasteland (and it largely is), there are no words to describe how truly awful daytime TV is. It is a parade of dysfunctional twits who, in any decent society, would be a source of shame rather than entertainment, locked away for treatment instead of placed on exhibit. In the midst of all that, ABC has a man named Wayne Brady doing a talk show that is too small for his great and numerous talents, and one can only hope it launches a bigger and better venue for him.
Many will remember Mr. Brady from the American version of Clive Anderson's program, "Whose Line is it Anyway?" which was hosted by Drew Carey. On that show, Mr. Brady proved himself to be a singer with few equals, a comedic wit of lightening speed, and a very smart man. That he has a charming smile and noble features only helps his cause.
His talk-show is according to the prevailing formula, a brief monologue, some guests, perhaps a performance, all squeezed into an hour. In that sense, it is indistinguishable from other shows of its ilk, but it is Mr. Brady's ability to recall the style and conversational talents of Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, and Johnny Carson (all of whom had 90 minutes to fill) that makes this an hour well-spent.
There is, of course, one short-coming that the program must address -- the fact that the host is often far more interesting and talented than his guests. One can only hope that Mr. Brady's time off-camera is spent developing a vehicle that proves that statement.