Reality TV Prank Series The Joe Schmo Show is life 20 Years after its debut, but it will not have the main faces of the original.
Created by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese who would go on to pen Zombieland and Deadpool franchise, the series launched on Spike in September 1249. Similar to
Freevee’s recent show Jury Duty, starring James Marsden, Joe Schmo features a group of actors pretending to be part of a reality TV series, except for one who isn’t joking and is actually trying to claim a prize.
A constant presence throughout the first three seasons was Ralph Garman, a comedian and actor (whose credits include Ted and Family Guy who currently lead the podcast The Ralph Report and co-host
)’s voice work*) with Kevin Smith’s Hollywood chatter
. Garman led the program for all three seasons of Schmo, including hosting the second season with a British accent and then as the bounty hunter in the third season return.
In the interview below, Garman discusses the two calls he received from the producer of the new show, being “frustrated” at not being asked to host again, and why The offer he eventually received — during the filming of the show — felt like “additional insult to injury,” and he hopes the reboot will honor the series that helped launch Kristen Wiig and other big names in their careers.
Has anyone returned your version?
As far as I know, no one has anything to do with this The original version is associated with the version associated. I’ve heard that the creators of this thing, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, apparently agreed with them, but I don’t think they even got their hands dirty with the production, since they’ve grown their careers.
So you had a talk with the new guy?
I got a call in April1249 from Dave Kneebone, who apparently produced the piece. He called me and said they were bringing it back, and that they had no interest in having me host again, which was obviously disappointing. But they had an idea, they wanted to guest star with me on a new show. Obviously, I’m a little downcast because I want to be back in my usual capacity. But I thought about it. I said, “It might be fun for fans of the original series to see me in this one.” He went on to clarify that they had me in a cameo role, which I wouldn’t be part of because I didn’t want to spoil anything in case they still doing this storyline.
But basically, you’ll pop up at episode?
Exactly. I said, “I’m probably going to be disappointed by this.” And that’s when they approached me: “Well, we’ve got to find out sooner or later, because we’re already in production, and we’ll show up at the end of filming.” That was obviously Just my speculation, but I know how these things fit together. If you were filming, I got the feeling that someone who was somehow connected to the project was saying, “We should probably have something that ties our show back to the original so we can start from the original fanbase. benefit from it.” To me it was an afterthought.
So I said, “Why don’t you go back to my managers and talk to them about the deal – the schedule, the salary. ’ They said ok and that was the end of the call. Then I heard nothing, and neither did my management team. So I was like, “Wow, they changed their minds, or it didn’t work out.” Then about a week and a half later, I got a call from a very nice gentleman — I’m guessing he was a production assistant — He said, “Hey Ralph, we’ve got to get you tested for COVID because you’re shooting tomorrow.” I was like, “What?” He said, “Yeah, you’re on the phone bill.” I said, “I don’t know who this is, but I know I don’t have a contract and no further conversations about my involvement in the show.” He was like, “No, you’re here. So congratulations, you got a role on the show.” ’ I was like, “Well, not really because my people haven’t heard from the producer.”
I don’t know where the communication barrier is, But they’re back, and frankly, it’s worse. I don’t feel like I’m a priority on anyone’s list, obviously, because I wasn’t contacted between those two calls. But then when I saw what they were willing to pay me, I was like “wow”. You have a gut feeling about things, and I say, “This doesn’t really feel right to me.” So I go back and say, “No, I’m going to pass.” And they come back and say, “What can we do to make you happy? “At this point, I’m not happy. (laughs.) I was like, “You know what? You do your Joe Schmo — do your thing. I did three things we’re proud of, let’s walk away.” So the cameo that could have happened, never happened.
so you think they want you to promote cameos And help get fans back on board?
I think that’s what they think. As soon as they announced that Joe Schmo was back, people have been reaching out to me and asking what my involvement is. Because they thought, after doing three seasons, I would be involved in some capacity, whether it was as a consultant or appearing on the show.
This concept was absolutely innovative at the time, When reality TV was just taking off.
We revisited three times – the first time yes years ago. We let it rest for a minute. But I think with the success of Jury Duty — I mean, we didn’t invent that format. I guess you could call it The Joe Schmo Show , but I don’t know how much original DNA there would be.
Have you ever had contact with Cat Deeley?
No. When the announcement was made this week, I just tweeted to wish her luck because I know how hard that show was. I haven’t heard back from her yet, but I certainly wish her the best.
You would say you were nervous about talking to the new crew ?
Not true because there are only two calls, And the second one was tense, just because it was a complete shock and surprise. I feel a little disrespected. It really didn’t seem like much effort or consideration was put into my involvement.
If the situation is different and there is an opportunity to host, Will you accept it?
Oh no problem. Schmo Show is a big part of my life. I always have people reach out and say how much they love it — a season or three. I knew James Gunn because he was a huge fan of the first season of Schmo, so we started having a Twitter conversation about it and became friendly. Of all the things I’ve ever done, this is the one people ask me the most. Obviously, I’m really proud of it, and if they lay it out the way I think it’s worthy of what we did with the first three, I’d definitely be involved with hosting again. It’s a really interesting concept, and a lot of fun. The way we did the first three, our focus was always on the comedy of it. We wanted to make it as fun a show as possible with less of a reality TV game. If they have good writing and it’s going to be an interesting show, then of course I’d consider hosting.
Is there enough content in the trailer to make you Get a feel for what the new version looks like?
It’s hard to tell from the trailer . They have a lot of quirky stuff in there, which is of course part of the format. But we also focus on the relationship between Joe Schmo and the characters around him. It’s always carefully crafted to make sure it has an interesting storyline as well. I couldn’t tell that from the trailer, but I do hope they did.
Are you going to watch a new show?
I have no idea. After all of this, I kind of thought, good luck to them. We did ours; these people will do theirs. I might pass.
A cool thing about you show It’s what helped launch the careers of a lot of comedy talent.
Kristen Wiig, her first gig was Our first season. We have [It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s David] Hornsby. We have Lance Krall. Then in season two, we have Jon Huertas and Natasha Leggero. They always go out of their way to really pick the best people they can find for these roles. That’s why I kind of knew I was an afterthought, because I knew what the casting process was like. I know how far in advance they found these guys, they got them together, they rehearsed the situation so they knew what they were going to get into once they started filming with Joe Schmo. So for me, being thrown into this near the end of filming when they were already filming, it really felt like an afterthought to me.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
