"Talk Soup" (1991) TV series 1991-2002

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Directors:

Cynthia Zoller Malone
Fred Mendes

Writers:

Jeff Corriveau (writer)
Dan Dunn (2001-)

Seasons:

unknown

Genre:

Comedy | Talk-Show

Plot Keywords:

Chroma Key | Spoof | Non Fiction

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Hal Sparks	...	Himself - Host (7 episodes, 1999-2000)
John Henson	...	Himself - Host (6 episodes, 1995-1999)
Tom McNamara	...	Stage Manager (5 episodes, 1997-2000)
Aisha Tyler	...	Host / ... (3 episodes, 2001-2002)
Greg Kinnear	...	Himself - Host (2 episodes, 1991-1995)
Alan Wu	...	Assistant Director (2 episodes, 1992-1997)
Jeff Zimmer	...	Senor Sock (2 episodes, 1994-1998)
Brandon Gibson	...	Various Sketch Characters (2 episodes, 1997-2000)
Sadie Shiller	...	Various sketches (2 episodes, 1999)
Kevin Ruf	...	Guest Host for Episode / ... (2 episodes, 2000)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

E! Network Studios - 5750 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

E! Entertainment Television

Quotes:

Foxy Chocolat: Don't make me open a can of Whoop-Ass, buster!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'The Larry Sanders Show' (2007) (V)

The weekend recaps were always the best

I can't believe how many people hate Hal Sparks! He was my favorite host of the show, hands down. I hate celebrity gossip and generally dislike talk shows, but when Hal Sparks hosted Talk Soup, it was must see TV for me. I rarely missed an episode during his run, and was saddened when the guest hosts started pouring in (although most of the guests still did a fine job).

Anyway, for all the people who dislike Hal Sparks, I imagine they must have never seen the weekend specials. They were hour long episodes of Talk Soup that comprised the best clips from the entire week, and were padded out by sketch comedy bits. The original bits that Hal Sparks did were hilarious. In one he got possessed by a bad comedy demon, and in an exorcist like scene his head spun as he told dated jokes about airline food. One episode was dedicated to making fun of Multiplicity, as a bunch of cloned Hal Sparks kept multiplying through out the episode, over-running the studio.

OK, maybe these don't sound as funny when I describe them, but all I know is that besides Talk Soup, the only other two shows I watched consistently during those years was The Simpsons and Late Night with Conan O'Brian. So if you like the comedy stylings of those shows, then you'd probably like Talk Soup during the Sparks years.

That said, Henson and Tyler were both great hosts as well. All three hosts brought something different to the table but they were all fine comedians in my opinion. Of course, throughout the Tyler and guest star years, my interest in this show began to wane, but every now and then I catch The Soup, the show's spiritual successor, and sure enough, the new host can bring some pretty unexpected laughs from time to time.

OK, I've wasted enough time talking about a TV show that isn't on the air anymore and on a channel that I generally despise. Go watch something else!