Thicke of the Night
Alan Thicke
Alan Thicke, David Foster, Jay Graydon
"Thicke of the Night"
United States
English
1
90 minutes, later shortened to 60 minutes
September 5, 1983 –
June 15, 1984
Debut[edit]
Intended as a rival to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, the series debuted on September 5, 1983. It was hosted by Canadian actor and songwriter Alan Thicke, who was well known in his home country for hosting The Alan Thicke Show, a popular daytime talk show that ended when Thicke was signed to do the American show.
Its debut was preceded by a concerted publicity campaign. When the series made it to air, it was unable to compete against the Tonight Show in the ratings, and critics were not kind to its unorthodox blend of stand-up comedy, sketch comedy, and talk show, which would later become staples of late night talk shows. The program also featured musical performances; a March 1984 episode of the show marked the network television debut of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who performed two songs from their debut album.[2]
Retooling and cancellation[edit]
As the season progressed, and with several stations having dropped the show mid-season, it was retooled to more closely resemble Thicke's popular Canadian talk show. Original house band The Tom Canning Band was replaced by The John Tobin Band, the regulars were dropped, and Thicke's then-wife Gloria Loring joined the cast, as did Los Angeles-area talk-show host Wally George, on a semi-regular basis. However, none of these changes helped boost the show's ratings, and at the end of the 1983–84 season, it was cancelled. Thicke said of the cancellation: "Thicke of the Night was supposed to challenge Johnny Carson. They said it couldn't be done and I was the guy they chose to prove it. The show was ahead of its time... it should've been on in 2084, when all of us are dead."
A year later, Thicke attained American TV stardom with the series Growing Pains.
The show was later satirized in an SCTV skit as Maudlin O'The Night. After the show's cancellation, it inspired a Saturday Night Live skit, In Thickeness and In Health.