TBS Revives ‘The Joe Schmo Show’ Hoax Reality Format, Now Hosted by Cat Deeley
variety.comMichael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As Amazon Freevee’s hoax reality series “Jury Duty” is currently garnering huge amounts of attention, the format originator is staging a comeback.
TBS is set to announce Wednesday that it has ordered a revival of “The Joe Schmo Show,” which will air next year on the cabler.
The original “Joe Schmo” premiered in 2003 on Spike TV, with a follow-up in 2004 and then a third season revival in 2013. Created by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (both of whom went on to a successful screenwriting career, including the “Deadpool” films), “Joe Schmo” made waves when it first debuted for parodying the then-relatively new and white-hot reality competition genre.
The new “Joe Schmo” will be hosted by Cat Deeley (“So You Think You Can Dance”) and once again center on a show-within-a-show in which one non-acting civilian thinks he’s competing on a reality series — when he’s actually in a scripted environment surrounded by improv comedians. “When ‘The Joe Schmo Show’ launched 20 years ago, it was ahead of its time,” said Jason Sarlanis, president, Turner Networks, ID and HLN, linear & streaming. “In rebooting this classic for a modern, savvy audience, it gives us the opportunity to comment on the often absurd and hilarious tropes of reality television in ways our viewers will love.” Reese and Wernick are back as producers, and the show comes from MTV Entertainment Studios and Fly on the Wall.
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