Revived Gong Show gets lost in mists of time
From the moment the host of The Gong Show walks onstage, the point of view of ABC’s revival of the 1970s absurdist game show is immediately established.
Clad in a tuxedo, Spanish-inspired hat and facial prosthetics, “British comedian” Tommy Maitland introduces himself to the studio audiences and this episode’s celebrity judges Will Arnett, Ken Jeong and Zach Galifianakis. Except his name is not Tommy Maitland. It’s Mike Myers.
We have to assume it’s Myers, because neither ABC nor anyone involved with the production of the new incarnation of The Gong Show will confirm — not officially, anyway — that it is the Austin Powers star behind the makeup and cheap jokes.
From the host to the acts to the infamous gong signalling a bad act worthy of banishment, the revival is a constant exercise in trolling, leaving us unsure who is in on the joke and who is the butt of it.
The new version, debuting tonight at 10, preserves the same essential format — a variety of weird acts, including a woman who plays the harmonica with a tarantula in her mouth and a bagpipe player riding a unicycle, gives it their all for the judges, hoping not to get “gonged,” which stops the performance in its tracks. Recurring bits and characters fill the time between acts. The biggest change is the expanded hour-long format, but the fun had onscreen feels one-sided this time around.
The acts are performing in a different context in 2017, and most feel less like they’re zany for the fun of it than outrageous to provoke a response.
The series’ dated Hollywood esthetic and current discussions of cultural appropriation come to a head in the première when an Asian couple sings a song called Never Gong an Asian, then are gonged by Jeong. When they inquire about the historical accuracy of the gong, Jeong shrugs and replies: “Leave me out of this, I was Mr. Chow for three (Hangover) movies.”
While a famous actor going full method for a weird character is a reminder of the strange acts on the original show, Myers never fully connects with viewers.
The original Gong was hosted with unbridled enthusiasm by Chuck Barris, who appeared to be having a genuinely good time no matter how bad the performances. Maybe that’s why the new version feels just a little more hollow and heartless.