Why are there no American panel shows?

The obvious answer doesn't cut it. There are panel shows on American radio (well, NPR) and there's some stupid shit on British television. But there's no QI here, no I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, no Mock the Week ... Michael Ian Black did two separate pilots for an American Have I Got News for You and neither went anywhere. What is it about the format or the audience that keeps it off American TV?

edited 17th Nov '13 2:56:24 PM by HersheleOstropoler

They require an IQ of over 10?

The sad thing is they appeal to an older audience, those who grew up when TV was in its infancy or even before TV, when radio was the primary source of entertainment. I'm lived in Britain for a few years and discovered Radio 4 and still listen to the shows I like (Now Show, Just a Minute, Cabin Pressure, etc) but many of them like I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue are dreadfully dull. Young people today if they listen to the radio at all tend to listen to abominable top 40.

This is most likely a stupid question, but can someone explain to me what a panel show exactly is? I don't think I encountered the term before.

It's like a game show, but with celebrities playing, and there's no prizes. The page we have on it explains it more in depth.

This is the only reason why it's not popular in the US. If there is no reward for the people playing, there's no real point in watching the show, because nothing that happened during it matters.

That said, even if there were prizes most people watching aren't interested in watching celebrities win things unless the way to do so was degrading in some way... Most people watching are more interested in being a contestant themselves and becoming celebrities because of their win.

edited 18th Nov '13 7:40:15 AM by Swish

Okay...this is a REALLY foreign concept for me. I mean, we have one or two shows in which one group of people competes against another to proof that they are smarter, or in which celebrities compete against normal people, but usually there is some sort of price involved, even if it just for charity. For example, we have a show in which one comedian gives the other comedians a really obscure word or question, and they have to guess what the right answer is...but even in this one the questions are usually send in by the audience and when the comedians don't guess correctly, the one who send the it gets some money.

More than likely it's just because there isn't a history of them and Network Executives don't want to take the risk on dangerous untried formats.

Similarly, I remember Eddie Izzard talking about how there's sod all stand-up comedy in France. Just no cultural presidence.

edited 18th Nov '13 11:06:58 AM by Anteres

There are some trivia shows like Jeopardy and others which allow celebrities compete but they win money which is then donated to a charity of their choice.

edited 18th Nov '13 11:10:32 AM by Halberdier17

The page on it says those don't count as Panel Shows.

Yeah, I'd say that a part of what makes a panel show a panel show is the lack of prize. It also adds to the comedy value, because the audience don't get invested in who wins (due to the lack of prize) while the panellists get very invested. Part of the brilliance of panel shows is laughing at how much the panellists care about scoring points that mean nothing.

I should clarify that I asked this question after my third stint in the Studio Audience for an American version of a British show in which the ostensible premise is an excuse for the participants — in America, Michael Ian Black and some other people — to play off each other (in this case, Sky One's Duck Quacks Don't Echo)

Because Whose Line Is It Anyway is easily purchased on DVD.

edited 18th Nov '13 3:54:40 PM by Canid117

Because all the top American comedians are on QI already? Or at least the best ones.

I'd describe a panel show as "a half hour to an hour's discussion driven by a quiz". I'm quite fond of QI because of the humor firstly and the facts secondly. I don't care who wins except I want to know the winner.

My mother's watched QI with me a few times, and when I describe it as "vaguely a quiz show where they're encouraged to discuss while being interesting and funny", she makes comments like "so when are they going to get started being interesting or funny?" She saw one of the science demonstrations once and said "what? something educational on this show? I thought that wasn't allowed!"

Oddly, she's not nearly as antagonistic toward Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. I'm not sure how much that has to do with how much bluer QI has leeway to get.

I would say it's because Americans don't like terrible attempts at "comedy" but that would be a lie.

We definitely win the race to the bottom as far as comedy goes.

I'm not so sure about that.

I point at the execrable Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and also Gavin and Stacey as proof that British comedy can be as shit if not more so than anything from across the Pond.

well, does @Midnight count as a panel show?

Because Comedy central gave it about a month to see how it did and apparently it did well enough to get a full fledged (40 weeks 4 nights a week) season starting in January,

for any not familiar, @Midnight is a "gameshow" where three comedians are brought on to make jokes and compete for "funniest person on earth for 24 hours" while riffing on current events on the internet. Its also hilarious as fuck.

edited 24th Nov '13 9:57:51 PM by midgetsnowman

I was just wondering the same thing about @midnight, and if was the closest thing we Yanks have to a panel show. I have enjoyed watching a few eps here and there.

I'm going to display my Americaness by asking, why would someone participate in a show they don't get anything out of?

I honestly felt the same there.

Only really big gain I can think of, as a celebrity, is notoriety. For instance, with @Midnight - which I do enjoy, I have learned about a couple of comedians I wasn't aware of before, which is a bonus for them. That's the main investment I can think of from them.

It's a job? Like talk shows, they don't compete at all, and don't get anything, except getting paid.

Thats pretty much the draw of @Midnight for the guests, yeah. Its free exposure to cable TV audience. And given that @Midnight is pulling in great ratings, it means a LOT of people know you exist.

Well they do get paid...