MeTV Request: "America's Funniest Home Videos"

[stevearino]

Dear Weigel Broadcasting, Inc.,

I have a proposal for MeTV: To make a deal with Buena Vista Television, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, for MeTV to become the exclusive Digital OTA home of Network TV's Longest-Running Prime-Time Game Show.

Its name: "America's Funniest Home Videos," on the air for 36 Combined Seasons since 1989.

In case you aren't familiar with the show, here's the Inside Information from an avid viewer of the show since Summer 1992.

The year is 1988. George "Daddy" Bush, age 64, is U.S. President-Elect; the War of the Gulf is in full affect; and rookie TV producer Vin Di Bona is on vacation in Tokyo, Japan with his then-wife, Gina.

During the vacation, Vin caught a glimpse of a Japanese variety show called "Fun With Kato and Ken," a segment of which featured ordinary Japanese citizens competing against each other for the Japanese equivalent of the American Dollar; upon his return to Los Angeles, California (via Cranston, Rhode Island, where he was born on April 10, 1944), Vin decided to turn the segment he saw on vacation into his NEXT TV Game Show (after his Saturday-Morning Game Show "Animal Crack-Ups," hosted by Alan Thicke, which had a panel of 4 Celebrity Guests per show competing against each other making educated guesses about comical animal oddities in the hopes of earning $2,500 for the animal charities of their choice), eventually naming the show "America's Funniest Home Videos" and hiring Bob Saget (born in Philadelphia on May 17, 1956) to host the Hour-Long Pilot Episode, which taped in Summer 1989 at Hollywood Center Studios in L.A. and was immediately picked up by execs at the ABC Television Network, eventually airing on November 26, 1989 at 8 P.M. ET on the ABC Television Network; 7 weeks later, on January 14, 1990, "America's Funniest Home Videos" began airing regularly every Sunday night at 8 P.M. ET in a unique TV Game Show format remaining very little changed throughout its long run, with 3 Contestants per show competing against each other for a Grand Prize of $10,000 by submitting their funniest moments caught on film; during the first 2 seasons only, the 2nd and 3rd place winners won, respectively, an RCA TV Set and an RCA Video Camera (later modified to having both the 2nd and 3rd place winners winning the RCA Video Camera and the weekly $10,000 winners in addition to the $10,000 Weekly Prize earning an RCA TV Set) before the Prize element was Dropped; in addition, every November, February, and May, the weekly $10,000 Grand Prize winners compete against each other for an additional $100,000 Grand Prize Competition.

By March 1990, Vin Di Bona realized that MANY of the Potential Contestants on "America's Funniest Home Videos" were submitting set-up clips as opposed to spontaneous, unrehearsed moments, so rather than throw those away, Vin decided to spin those set-up clips off into a NEW Game Show called "America's Funniest People," hiring Dave Coulier (born in Detroit on September 21, 1959 and raised in nearby St. Clair Shores, Michigan) to host the Pilot for that show, which taped at ABC Television Center in Los Angeles and subsequently aired on May 13, 1990 at 8 P.M. ET on ABC and as with the former was immediately picked up to series, airing regularly on Sunday nights starting September 16, 1990 at 8 P.M. ET as part of ABC's weekly "America's Funniest Hour," with Dave paired on "America's Funniest People" with "Days of Our Lives" actress Arleen Sorkin and later Tawny Kitaen after the show's 2nd season.

In September 1992, Vin Di Bona began becoming Bi-Coastal from ABC Television Center in Los Angeles to Universal Studios in Orlando for Season 3 of "America's Funniest People" (with Season 3 of the latter show taping there while "America's Funniest Home Videos" continued at ABC Television Center in Los Angeles for the time being) until relocating Permanently for Season 4 (along with "America's Funniest Home Videos") to Hollywood Center Studios in Los Angeles--which turned out to be the last for "America's Funniest People," as ABC officially cancelled the show in May 1994 due to poor ratings with the Series Finale telecast on August 28, 1994.

As for "America's Funniest Home Videos," it soldiered on--for a while, at least--continuing to tape new episodes at Hollywood Center Studios in L.A. for Seasons 6 and 7 before moving back to ABC Television Center for Season 8.

In May 1997, after 8 seasons, Bob Saget signed off permanently as host of "America's Funniest Home Videos," after which he was replaced in January 1998 by former MTV VJ Daisy Fuentes (paired with comic John Fugelsang), only for ratings to deteriorate to the point where in May 1999, after 10 seasons, ABC, due to low ratings, officially cancelled "America's Funniest Home Videos," with the unannounced Series Finale, Videotaped at House of Blues in Los Angeles (after taping 2 seasons at Manhattan Beach Studios in L.A.) airing on August 28, 1999.

2 years later, on July 20, 2001, 2 months shy of the 9/11/01 attacks, "America's Funniest Home Videos" was successfully revived by ABC, this time with TV personality Tom Bergeron (then doing double Game Show duty as "Hollywood Squares" host) becoming Sole Permanent Host and taping moving back to Manhattan Beach Studios in Los Angeles--a role he maintained for 15 years until March 2014, when Tom announced that he too was stepping down as host of "America's Funniest Home Videos," with his final original episode airing on May 17, 2015; 48 hours later, LIVE on "Dancing With the Stars" on May 19, 2015 (which Tom was still hosting back then), Alfonso Ribeiro was announced as Tom's successor as host of "America's Funniest Home Videos," beginning his role in that capacity on October 11, 2015--now in his 11th Season in the role as host.

On January 9, 2022, as Alfonso was introducing the weekly Contestants on "America's Funniest Home Videos" that night, ABC News Interrupted the show to announce that Bob Saget, 65 years old, had just died at the local Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Orlando, Florida, where he was staying at after Performing in a Nationwide Stand-Up Comedy Tour near Jacksonville the Night Before; the following month, February 9, the local Orlando Coroner announced that Bob had died in his Sleep of a Sudden Massive Heart Attack after falling and hitting his head in an Unwitnessed Fall in his Bed (presumably after taking a Shower in his Hotel Room) and dying as he fell asleep.

Tentatively, MeTV shall split all 35 seasons and Beyond of "America's Funniest Home Videos" into 2 halves: the original 10-year run (including those hosted by Bob Saget & Daisy Fuentes) airing Weekday Afternoons at 5 P.M. ET on MeTV and the Hour-Long Revival Episodes Hosted by Tom Bergeron & Alfonso Ribeiro Weekend Afternoons, Saturdays at 3 P.M. ET (replacing "Rawhide") and Sunday Mornings at 11 A.M. ET (replacing "Happy Days" & "Laverne & Shirley").

Sincerely,
Steve Arino

[icecream]

It is a reality show, not a game show. MeTV fans would not be happy if reality started coming to the network. AFV is not needed on any diginet.

[James28]

Originally Posted by icecream

AFV is not needed on any diginet.

To all Sitcoms Online Board members: For the last time, it's AFHV.

I was so annoyed to no end by the omission of the "H" from the acronym with the word "Home" still being in America's Funniest Videos's full title that I created a thread about this in 2021.