View source for Talk show

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2013}}{{Use American English|date=November 2025}}

{{other uses|Talk show (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Teri Garr with David Letterman.jpg|thumb|right|240px|[[David Letterman]] interviewing [[Teri Garr]] on ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'' in 1982]]{{short description|Type of broadcast show centered around conversation}}
A '''talk show''' or '''chat show''' is a [[television programming]], [[radio program]]ming and [[podcast]] genre structured around the act of spontaneous [[conversation]].<ref name="Timberg2010">Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010) [https://books.google.com/books?id=BpIQAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA3 Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show]'', pp.3-4</ref><ref name="Erler2010">Erler, Robert (2010) "A Guide to Television Talk", in Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show, by Bernard M. Timberg</ref><ref name="Goffman1981">{{Cite book |last=Goffman |first=Erving |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3bvx_T4Zu8C&pg=PA253 |title=Forms of Talk |date=March 1981 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-1112-2 |language=en}}</ref> A talk show is distinguished from other television programs by certain common attributes;<ref name=":2" /> in a talk show, one person (or group of people or guests) discusses various topics put forth by a [[List of talk show hosts|talk show host]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Stelter |first=Brian |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/01/business/media/01cooper.html |title=Anderson Cooper to Host Daytime Talk Show  |newspaper=[[NYTimes.com]] |date=September 30, 2010 |access-date=July 3, 2011}}</ref> This discussion can be in the form of an interview or a simple conversation about important social, political or religious issues and events.<ref name=":1" /> The [[personality]] of the host shapes the [[Tone (literature)|tone]] and style of the show.<ref name="Timberg2010"/><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Television talk shows : discourse, performance, spectacle|date=2001|publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum|others=Tolson, Andrew.|isbn=0-8058-3746-9|location=Mahwah, N.J.|oclc=44592593}}</ref> A common feature or unwritten rule of talk shows is to be based on "fresh talk", which is talk that is spontaneous or has the appearance of spontaneity.<ref name="Timberg2010" /><ref name="Goffman1981" /><ref name=":0" />

The talk show originated in the United States in the early 1950s.<ref name="Hinckley" /> Talk shows can also have several different sub-genres, which all have unique material and can air at different times of the day via different avenues.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Television talk shows : discourse, performance, spectacle|date=2001|publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum|others=Tolson, Andrew.|isbn=0-8058-3746-9|location=Mahwah, N.J.|oclc=44592593}}</ref>

== Attributes ==
Beyond the inclusion of a host, a guest(s), and a studio or [[call-in]] audience, specific attributes of talk shows may be identified:
* Talk shows focus on the viewers—including the participants calling in, sitting in a studio or viewing from online or on TV.
* Talk shows center around the interaction of guests with opposing opinions and/or differing levels of expertise, which include both experts and non-experts.
* Although talk shows include guests of various expertise levels, they often cater to the credibility of one's life experiences as opposed to educational expertise.
* Talk shows involve a host responsible for furthering the agenda of the show by mediating, instigating and directing the conversation to ensure the purpose is fulfilled. The purpose of talk shows is to either address or bring awareness to conflicts, to provide information, or to entertain.
* Talk shows consist of evolving episodes that focus on differing perspectives in respect to important issues in society, politics, religion or other popular areas.
* Talk shows are produced at low cost and are typically not aired during [[prime time]].
* Talks shows are either aired live or are recorded live with limited post-production editing.<ref name=":2">{{Citation|last=Ilie|first=C.|title=Talk Shows|date=2006|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics|pages=489–494|publisher=Elsevier|language=en|doi=10.1016/b0-08-044854-2/00357-6|isbn=978-0-08-044854-1}}</ref>

==Subgenres==
[[File:Oprah Logo.gif|thumb|Oprah Winfrey made the tabloid talk show popular.]]{{Globalize|date=June 2023|2=United States and United Kingdom}}
There are several major formats of talk shows. Generally, each subgenre predominates during a specific programming block during the broadcast day.

* [[Breakfast television|Breakfast chat or early morning shows]] that generally alternate between news summaries, political coverage, feature stories, celebrity interviews, and musical performances.
* Late morning chat shows that feature two or more hosts or a celebrity panel and focus on entertainment and lifestyle features.
* Daytime [[tabloid talk show]]s that generally feature a host, a guest or a panel of guests, and a live audience that interacts extensively with the host and guests. These shows may feature celebrities, political commentators, or "ordinary" people who present unusual or controversial topics.
* "Lifestyle" or [[self-help]] programs that generally feature a host or hosts of medical practitioners, therapists, or counselors and guests who seek intervention, describe medical or psychological problems, or offer advice. An example of this type of subgenre is ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'', although it can easily fit into other categories as well.<ref name=":1" />
[[File:After Dark - Arms and the Gulf - 12 January 1991.jpg|thumb|[[After Dark (TV programme)|After Dark]]]]
* Evening panel discussion shows that focus on news, politics, or popular culture (such as the former British series ''[[After Dark (TV programme)|After Dark]]'', which was broadcast "late-night").
* [[Late-night talk show]]s that focus primarily on topical comedy and [[Variety show|variety entertainment]]. Most traditionally open with a [[monologue]] by the host, with jokes relating to current events. Other segments typically include interviews with celebrity guests, recurring [[sketch comedy|comedy sketches]], as well as performances by musicians or other [[stand-up comic]]s.
* [[Sunday morning talk show]]s are a staple of network programming in North America and generally focus on political news and interviews with elected political figures and candidates for office, commentators, and journalists.
* [[Aftershow]]s that feature in-depth discussion about a program on the same network that aired just before (for example, ''[[Talking Dead]]'').
* [[Parody|Spoof]] talk shows, such as ''[[Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]'', ''[[Tim and Eric Nite Live!]]'', ''[[Comedy Bang! Bang! (TV series)|Comedy Bang! Bang!]]'', and ''[[The Eric Andre Show]]'', that feature interviews that are mostly scripted, shown in a humorous and satirical way, or engages in subverting the norms of the format (particularly that of late-night talk shows).

These formats are not absolute; some afternoon programs have similar structures to late-night talk shows. These formats may vary across different countries or markets. Late night talk shows are especially significant in the [[United States]]. Breakfast television is a staple of [[British television]]. The daytime talk format has become popular in [[Latin America]] as well as the United States.

These genres also do not represent "generic" talk show genres. "Generic" genres are categorized based on the audiences' social views of talks shows derived through their cultural identities, fondness, preferences and character judgements of the talk shows in question.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Mittell|first=Jason|s2cid=192159361|date=2003|title=Audiences Talking Genre: Television Talk Shows and Cultural Hierarchies|journal=Journal of Popular Film and Television|language=en|volume=31|issue=1|pages=36–46|doi=10.1080/01956050309602867|issn=0195-6051}}</ref> The subgenres listed above are based on television programming and broadly defined based on the TV guide rather than on the more specific categorizations of talk show viewers. However, there is a lack of research on "generic" genres, making it difficult to list them here. According to Mittell, "generic" genres is of significant importance in further identifying talk show genres because with such differentiation in cultural preferences within the subgenres, a further distinction of genres would better represent and target the audience.<ref name=":1" />  

The American talk-radio host [[Howard Stern]] also hosted a talk show that was syndicated nationally in the US, then moved to satellite radio's [[Sirius Satellite Radio|Sirius]]. The [[tabloid talk show]] genre, pioneered by [[Phil Donahue]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/26/business/msnbc-cancels-the-phil-donahue-talk-show.html?ref=phildonahue |title=MSNBC Cancels the Phil Donahue Talk Show&nbsp;— New York Times |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 26, 2003 |access-date=July 3, 2011 |first=Bill |last=Carter}}</ref> in 1967<ref name=":2" /> but popularized by [[Oprah Winfrey]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Tannen |first=Deborah |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/opinion/29tannen.html?_r=1&ref=phildonahue |title=Op-Ed Contributor&nbsp;— Donahue Talked, Oprah Listened |newspaper=NYTimes.com |date=November 28, 2009 |access-date=July 3, 2011}}</ref> was extremely popular during the last two decades of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/05/arts/stern-reportedly-rules-out-late-night-tv-talk-show.html |title=Stern Reportedly Rules Out Late-Night TV Talk Show&nbsp;— New York Times |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 5, 1994 |access-date=July 3, 2011 |first=Bill |last=Carter}}</ref> 

Politics are hardly the only subject of American talk shows, however. Other radio talk show subjects include ''Car Talk'' hosted by [[NPR]] and ''[[Coast to Coast AM]]'' hosted by [[Art Bell]] and [[George Noory]] which discusses topics of the [[paranormal]], [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]], and [[fringe science]]. Sports talk shows are also very popular ranging from high-budget shows like ''[[The Best Damn Sports Show Period]]'' to [[Max Kellerman]]'s original [[public-access television]] [[cable TV]] show ''Max on Boxing''.

==History==
Talk shows have been broadcast on [[television]] since the earliest days of the medium. [[Joe Franklin]] in the United States hosted the first television talk show. The show began in 1951 on WJZ-TV (later [[WABC-TV]]) and moved to WOR-TV (later [[WWOR-TV]]) from 1962 to 1993.<ref name=Hinckley>{{cite news |first=David |last=Hinckley |title=Joe Franklin: Truth in Packaging |work=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1999/11/26/1999-11-26_joe_franklin_truth_in_packag.html |date=November 26, 1999 |access-date=January 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703060057/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1999/11/26/1999-11-26_joe_franklin_truth_in_packag.html |archive-date=July 3, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

[[NBC]]'s ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' in the United States is the world's longest-running talk show; having debuted in 1954, it continues to this day. The show underwent some minor title changes until settling on its current title in 1962, and despite a brief foray into a more news-style program in 1957 and then reverting that same year, it has remained a talk show. ''[[The Late Late Show (Irish talk show)|The Late Late Show]]'' in Ireland is the second-longest-running talk show in television history, and the longest running talk show in Europe, having debuted in 1962.

[[Steve Allen]] was the first host of ''The Tonight Show'', which began as a local New York show, being picked up by the NBC network in 1954. It in turn had evolved from his late-night radio talk show in Los Angeles. Allen pioneered the format of late night network TV talk shows, originating such talk show staples as an opening monologue, celebrity interviews, audience participation, and comedy bits in which cameras were taken outside the studio, as well as music, although the series' popularity was cemented by its second host, [[Jack Paar]], who took over after Allen had left and the show had ceased to exist.
[[File:Paar and cavett 1973.JPG|thumb|right|[[Dick Cavett]] and [[Jack Paar]]]]

The American TV news pioneer [[Edward R. Murrow]] hosted a talk show entitled ''Small World'' in the late 1950s and since then, political TV talk shows have predominantly aired on [[Sunday morning talk shows|Sunday mornings]].

Syndicated daily talk shows began to gain more popularity during the mid-1970s and reached their height of popularity with the rise of the [[tabloid talk show]]. Morning talk shows gradually replaced earlier forms of programming&nbsp;— there were a plethora of morning [[game show]]s during the 1960s and early to mid-1970s, and some stations formerly showed a morning movie in the time slot that many talk shows now occupy.

Current late-night talk shows such as ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon]], [[Conan (talk show)|Conan]]'' and ''[[The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]'' have aired featuring celebrity guests and comedy sketches. Syndicated daily talk shows range from [[tabloid talk show]]s, such as ''[[The Jerry Springer Show|Jerry Springer]]'' and ''[[Maury (TV series)|Maury]],'' to celebrity interview shows, like ''[[Live with Kelly and Ryan]]'', ''[[Tamron Hall (talk show)|Tamron Hall]]'', ''[[Sherri (talk show)|Sherri]]'', ''[[The Steve Wilkos Show|Steve Wilkos]]'', ''[[The Jennifer Hudson Show]]'' and ''[[The Kelly Clarkson Show]],'' to the ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]],'' which popularized the former genre and has been evolving towards the latter. On November 10, 2010, [[Oprah Winfrey]] invited several of the most prominent American talk show hosts - [[Phil Donahue]], [[Sally Jessy Raphael]], [[Geraldo Rivera]], [[Ricki Lake]], and [[Montel Williams]] - to join her as guests on her show. The 1990s in particular saw a spike in the number of "tabloid" talk shows, most of which were short-lived and are now replaced by a more universally appealing "interview" or "lifestyle TV" format.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oprah.com/showinfo/Talk-Show-Hosts-Together-for-the-First-Time_1 |title=Donahue, Sally Jessy, Geraldo, Montel, Ricki: Talk Show Hosts—Where Are They Now? |publisher=Oprah.com |date=November 10, 2010 |access-date=July 3, 2011 |archive-date=June 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617090045/http://www.oprah.com/showinfo/Talk-Show-Hosts-Together-for-the-First-Time_1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The current world record for the longest talk show is held by [[Rabi Lamichhane]] from Nepal by staying on air for 62 hours from April 11 to 13, 2013, breaking the previous record set by two Ukrainians by airing the show for 52 hours in 2011.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22140317 | work=BBC News | title=Nepali hosts longest-ever talk show | date=April 13, 2013}}</ref>

In 2020 the fear of [[COVID-19 pandemic|the spread]] of [[COVID-19]] led to large changes in the operation of talk shows, with many being filmed without live audiences to ensure adherence to the rules of [[Social distancing measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic|social distancing]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Koblin|first=John|date=2020-03-11|title=TV Talk Shows Throw Out the Audience|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/business/media/talk-shows-coronavirus.html|access-date=2020-07-24|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news|last=Emily|first=Yahr|date=March 13, 2020|title=Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon go off the rails as their late-night shows have no audiences|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/03/13/late-night-colbert-fallon-no-audience/|access-date=July 21, 2020}}</ref> The inclusion of a live, participating audience is one of the attributes that contribute to the defining characteristics of talk shows.<ref name=":2" /> Operating without the interaction of viewers created difficult moments and awkward silences to hosts who usually used audience responses to transition conversations.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

==Talk shows around the world==

===Japan===
[[File:Tetsuko_Kuroyanagi_cropped_1_Tetsuko_Kuroyanagi_201511.jpg|thumb|160px|[[Tetsuko Kuroyanagi]]]]
{{Nihongo|''Tetsuko's Room''|徹子の部屋|Tetsuko no Heya}} is a talk show hosted by [[Tetsuko Kuroyanagi]] and broadcast on [[TV Asahi]] from February 2, 1976, every Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 13:30 ([[Japan Standard Time|JST]]). It is a long-lived program, and as of 2022, it has been broadcast for 46 years and more than 11,000 times, repeatedly winning [[Guinness World Records]]. Other talk shows include [[Nichiyō Tōron]] (1994 onwards), [[Ametalk!]] (2003 onwards) and [[Takeda Tetsuya no Shōwa wa kagayaiteita]] (2013 onwards).

In Japan, [[Panel show|panel shows]] called ''tōku bangumi'' (トーク番組) are commonplace, accounting for about 30% of daytime and primetime programming on the four main television stations. Due to language and cultural differences, Japanese TV stations could not freely use syndicated programs (mostly from Europe and North America) and therefore turned to [[panel game|panel shows]], which could be produced cheaply and easily, to fill time during daytime programming.

Japanese panel shows are distinct in generally not employing regular panelists but instead having a panel made up of different freelance comedians and celebrities each program, although the program is generally hosted by the same [[compere (host)|compere]]. Talk shows evolved in tandem with the [[Japanese variety show]] and it is very common for talk shows to borrow variety elements, typically by having celebrity guests attempt some kind of amusingly incongruous activity. Often, one of the guests will be a ''[[gaijin tarento]]'' (foreign talent) in order to provide comedy or to comment on matters related to Western culture. Comedic material is commonly written and rehearsed before tapings with or [[laugh track|without a live audience]].

===South Korea and Taiwan===
Korean and Taiwanese talk shows have used the panel format similar to Japanese programs and rely on famous celebrities and comedic banter than topics. Their programs often shorten interviews from lengthy tapings.

===Nepal===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Guinessworldrecordfortalkshow.jpeg]] -->
[[Rabi Lamichhane]] from Nepal previously held the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness World Record]] for longest talk show, continuously broadcasting for 62 hours in April 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Longest marathon television talk show |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-marathon-television-talk-show |access-date=10 November 2024 |website=[[Guinness World Records]]}}</ref>

===Brazil===
In Brazil, [[Jô Soares]] inaugurated the genre with Jô Soares Onze e Meia ("Jô Soares Eleven Thirty") from 1988 to 1999 on [[Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão|SBT]]. In 2000, Soares took his show's format to [[TV Globo]], where it was then called [[Programa do Jô]], and was broadcast until 2016. Jô's main competitors at the time were [[Danilo Gentili]] and [[Fábio Porchat]].

=== China ===
In 1999, ''Speak Up'', hosted by [[Ma Dong]], son of the famous Chinese comedian [[Ma Ji]], was born as an early talk show "chatting" about a variety of sharp topics related to people's livelihoods, the state system, and power structures. The show was eventually taken off the air as a direct result of the last episode of "Approaching Homosexuality."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tone |first=Sixth |date=May 28, 2020 |title=Where Are All the Chinese Talk Shows? |url=https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1005616/where-are-all-the-chinese-talk-shows |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=#SixthTone |language=en}}</ref>

In 2012, [[Dragon Television]] created a new high-end cultural, American-style talk show called ''[[:zh:今晚80后脱口秀|Tonight 80's Talk Show]]''; it is hosted by the comedian [[:zh:王自健|Wang Zijian]], showing young people's attitudes and thoughts on social hotspots, cultural events, and fashion trends.

==See also==
* [[Talk radio]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal
 | last1 = Niven
 | first1 = David
 |date=July 2003
 | title = The Political Content of Late Night Comedy
 | journal = The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics
 | volume = 8
 | issue = 3
 | pages = 118–133
 | doi = 10.1177/1081180X03008003007
 | last2 = Lichter
 | first2 = S. R.
 | last3 = Amundson
 | first3 = Daniel
| s2cid = 145298219
 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060627221452/http://ijpor.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/18/2/198 Priming Effects of Late-Night Comedy]
*[http://www.leaonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327825mcs0903_5?cookieSet=1&journalCode=mcs Late-Night Comedy and the Salience of the Candidates' Caricatured Traits in the 2000 Election]

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{{Late night television in the United States}}
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[[Category:Television talk shows|*]]
[[Category:Television events]]
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[[Category:Radio formats]]
[[Category:Television genres]]