TMC
02-24-2021, 12:50 AM
https://tv.avclub.com/kenny-wasn-t-like-the-other-kids-an-oral-history-of-mt-1846083224
A raucously sarcastic take on the game show genre, Remote Control burst onto MTV in 1987. Part of the cable channel’s first wave of non-video-centric shows, Remote Control skewered vintage pop culture with its “mom’s basement” style set, cigarette smoking commentators, and questions about everything from physics to The Brady Bunch—or a combination thereof. Contestants slouched in brightly colored Barcaloungers, were pelted with snacks between questions, and got pulled backward through breakaway walls upon elimination. Host Ken Ober (who died in 2009) held court with an everyman sneer alongside announcer Colin Quinn, while comedians like Adam Sandler and Denis Leary popped in to ask questions in guises such as “Stud Boy” or legendary animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams. It made both no sense and total sense.
It was the perfect MTV show for its era; unfortunately, like so many other shows from the network’s first decade or so, it came and went relatively quickly before sinking into pre-internet obscurity. If Remote Control is remembered at all, it’s as part of the gonzo legend of ’80s MTV, or as the show that first humored Sandler. But its legacy stretches into shows like Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego and The Real World, and its production team would not only ascend to the leadership ranks at MTV, but also at Comedy Central and Freeform, where it would shape programs as varied as All That, Smallville, and The Daily Show.
Many of the people who made the show call it the best job they ever had. In recent months, The A.V. Club has spoken with 21 of them—producers, writers, cast members, and contestants alike. So pull up a La-Z-Boy and enjoy this oral history of Remote Control.
A raucously sarcastic take on the game show genre, Remote Control burst onto MTV in 1987. Part of the cable channel’s first wave of non-video-centric shows, Remote Control skewered vintage pop culture with its “mom’s basement” style set, cigarette smoking commentators, and questions about everything from physics to The Brady Bunch—or a combination thereof. Contestants slouched in brightly colored Barcaloungers, were pelted with snacks between questions, and got pulled backward through breakaway walls upon elimination. Host Ken Ober (who died in 2009) held court with an everyman sneer alongside announcer Colin Quinn, while comedians like Adam Sandler and Denis Leary popped in to ask questions in guises such as “Stud Boy” or legendary animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams. It made both no sense and total sense.
It was the perfect MTV show for its era; unfortunately, like so many other shows from the network’s first decade or so, it came and went relatively quickly before sinking into pre-internet obscurity. If Remote Control is remembered at all, it’s as part of the gonzo legend of ’80s MTV, or as the show that first humored Sandler. But its legacy stretches into shows like Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego and The Real World, and its production team would not only ascend to the leadership ranks at MTV, but also at Comedy Central and Freeform, where it would shape programs as varied as All That, Smallville, and The Daily Show.
Many of the people who made the show call it the best job they ever had. In recent months, The A.V. Club has spoken with 21 of them—producers, writers, cast members, and contestants alike. So pull up a La-Z-Boy and enjoy this oral history of Remote Control.