Roy Wood Jr. Wants to Shake Up CNN’s Saturday Nights With Comedy
Roy Wood Jr. is about to launch a new comedy show that will, if all goes well, feature people who aren’t supposed to be funny cracking wise on a network that isn’t known for making people laugh.
“I like comedy in tough places,” quips Wood.
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He has found one. CNN — CNN? — will on Saturday launch Wood as host of “Have I Got News For You,” the U.S. version of a U.K. comedy mainstay. In “News,” two teams of comedians, newsmakers, actors and media personalities use news clips and headlines to drum up jokes and gags, all improv-style, though a round of different segments. Amber Ruffin, the actor and late-night writer, and Michael Ian Black, an actor, improv comedian and author, will serve as team captains each week.
One element that might bring the show broader appeal, says Wood, is the desire to get newsmakers — even polarizing ones — to take part. “In America, we’re not always the biggest fans of the ‘bad person’ being given the microphone,” but “above all, this is about laughing and we got who to say what?” says Wood. “And if we can get those two things to connect every week, then I think we will have a product that is going to be on the air for a very long time.”
CNN may serve as the backdrop for any number of “Saturday Night Live” sketches, but the Warner Bros. Discovery network isn’t known in and of itself for being particularly humorous. Over the years, however, its executives have tested programming with a decidedly lighter tone. In 2008 and 2009, CNN ran a program led by comedian D.L. Hughley. The CNN documentary series “United Shades of America” was hosted by W. Kamau Bell, the comedian and activist who did a prior stint at FX and FXX hosting a weekly comedy series. In 2019, CNN gave some time to Colin Quinn for a one-time special.
Because “Have I Got News For You” has aired on the BBC since 1990, executives at CNN felt comfortable bringing it to their schedule, says Amy Entelis, executive vice president for talent and content at CNN. “It has been in the hands of very experienced people” who will have oversight of the U.S. version, she says during an interview. “We felt we could take our shot at this and our audience will give us the permission to try.”
CNN has already greased the path. The network has been airing Bill Maher’s HBO program, “Real Time” on Saturdays for months, getting viewers accustomed to the idea of profanity, pointed comments and satire. Entelis says the program brings new audiences to CNN on Saturdays.
Besides, Fox News Channel has already tested comedy and found it successful; the network runs not only a Saturday comedy show hosted by Jimmy Failla, but a primetime roundtable led by Greg Gutfeld that is one of its most-watched programs.
Viewers have grown accustomed to seeing guest with shocking background on comedy shows, says Wood. Even “SNL” brings on a guest every once in a while who spurs debate. In the recent past, executive producer Lorne Michaels has given the nod to hosts such as Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Dave Chapelle and Shane Gillis.
“It would be nice to have an Eric Adams type, or a Ted Cruz type, who can come on and be OK with being jabbed and hey, swing back,” says Wood. “If you don’t like it, you know, you have an open space, an opportunity to throw something back. That’s ultimately what I would like to see this show become.”
Saturday nights are not TV’s most watched. Broadcast networks tend to fill their primetime hours with repeats and college football. Entelis says CNN faced similar challenges on Sundays in 2013 when it decided to fill its schedule with documentary series that featured Anthony Bourdain, among others. That has grown into a signature part of CNN’s programing base. Maher and Wood “could help establish a different mood for Saturday night,” she says.
Getting this type of opportunity is among the reasons Wood cites for departing “Daily.” “This was the type of scenario I was hoping for,” he says, and he believed exiting ahead of an election year made for a smart strategy. “If there was a good opportunity for me, I believed it would happen in an election year, not after,” he notes.
Comedic news has flourished, but usually not on the news outlets. People have embraced “The Daily Show,” “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver and the “Weekend Update” segment of “SNL.” When subscribers to Max, the streaming hub owned by Warner, choose the “news” section, they are offered access to past episodes of Oliver’s and Maher’s HBO series, along with the choice to stream CNN. Getting CNN viewers to grab hold shouldn’t be too difficult, says Wood. “This idea that comedy and news can’t coexist? I think it’s a myth.”
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