Game Show that aired on GSN, created by The Jim Henson Company under the Henson Alternative brand.
Two contestants competed. In round 1, the host gave a category, and each panelist would give a statement related to it. Two were telling the truth, two were lying. The contestants secretly picked a panelist they believed were telling a lie; getting it correct won a pre-determined amount of money ranging around $500-$600; it varied each episode, as did Weasel's explanation for picking that money amount. Round 2 was played with a new category, there was only one liar in the bunch, and picking the liar won a money amount ranging around $800-$900.
In round 3, each contestant picked one panelist. After the selected panelist gave their statement, the contestant would decide whether it was true or a lie. A right answer would activate a randomizer called the "Randomometer", which resembled a slot machine; the contestant would hit a button, and won whatever amount it was showing. Whoever was in the lead after this won the game and the right to play the Two Topic Showdown for an amount that, once again, varied; it mostly hovered closely around $10,000, but two episodes bumped that up considerably.
Late Night Liars was HEAVILY promoted; not only did it have numerous ads, but it had a dedicated YouTube page
with skits starring the puppets, and all the puppet cast had their own Twitter pages. Alas, none of that promotion translated into good ratings; the show ran from June 10 to July 29, 2010, ending with just one season of eight episodes.
Game Show Tropes in use:
- Bonus Round: Dubbed the "Two Topic Showdown". Correctly guess eight true/false statements in two separate but comedically-overlapping categories in 43 seconds for $10,000 (or so, as the show tinkered with the amount each episode). Episodes three and five bumped the top prize up to $25,000 and $20,000, respectively.
- Consolation Prize: The day's loser would receive $500 and a small prize, usually provided by Telebrands, known for their "As Seen On TV" products.
- Personnel:
- The Announcer: Weasel, portrayed by Victor Yerrid.
- Game Show Host: Larry Miller.
This Series Provides Examples Of:
- The Alcoholic: Both the panelists and host reveled in this. They often talked about going out for drinks, and the panel (plus the contestants) had drinks sitting before them.
- Camp Gay: William A. Mummy, who had the camp voice and frequently alluded to homosexuality in his statements.
- Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Cashmere. Her PMZ videos portray her many misadventures at the club.
- Precious Puppies: Cashmere looks like one, but her behavior certainly isn't.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: The panelists were thin parodies of existing celebs, but tended to revel in it rather than hide it.
- Shelly Oceans —> Performed by Donna Kimball, based off of Joan Rivers.
- William A. Mummy —> Performed by Brian Clark, based off Paul Lynde.
- Cashmere Ramada —> Performed by Colleen Smith, based off Paris Hilton.
- Sir Sebastian Simian —> Performed by Tyler Bunch, based off Simon Cowell.
- Puppet Show: Wouldn't be a Jim Henson Company production without 'em. While you won't find the more famous Muppets here, many of the puppets can be seen in other Henson productions, made both before and after Late Night Liars.
- Songs in the Key of Panic: The music during the Two Topic Showdown sped up as it went along, getting absolutely frantic as the timer was about to run out.
- Special Guest: Of sorts. On the third and fifth episodes, a "celebrity" in puppet form filled in for one of the regulars — Mickey Rourke and Rosie O'Donnell for Sebastian and Shelly, respectively. Despite being treated as if they actually were those celebrities, they were actually performed by Tyler Bunch and Donna Kimball, the same people who voiced Sebastian and Shelly anyway.
