NBCThe Maya Rudolph Show was the ultimate throwback to days gone by—did you love it or hate it?
Maya Rudolph, a Saturday Night Live veteran, said she dreamed of bringing the variety show back as a way to provide family-friendly entertainment and make people laugh.
"I was going to try to do it no matter what. I mean nine times out 10 some of my ideas tend to be, you know, deep-rooted in the ‘70s or somewhere that has nothing to do with what's going on now," Rudolph told reporters. "So I think this was just a lucky timing thing that people really thought, 'You know what? I really feel like this is what people want right now.' I think people want to watch TV and feel good and laugh. And that they were just simply receptive to me doing the show was a really nice welcome, a nice feeling."
The show featured plenty of Rudolph's famous friends including Kristen Bell, Andy Samberg, Fred Armisen and Sean Hayes. It was classic variety show comedy, the likes of which haven't been on TV for some time. That's something that hasn't been lost on some of our favorite stars.
CBS was talking to Neil Patrick Harris about transitioning from prime-time to late night with either the Late Show or the Late Late Show, but was worried about "the longevity of that kind of gig." "I think I would get bored of the repetition fast. The structure is so set—I don't have any interest in doing monologue, commercial, sketch, guest, guest, musical act, good night," Harris said. But he did express interest in doing a variety show for CBS, something Les Moonves seemed open to.
Is there life left in the variety show format? Do you want to see more of The Maya Rudolph Show?