''Busy Tonight'' is an American

late-night talk show A late-night talk show is a genre of talk show, originating in the American Media, United States. It is generally structured around humorous monologues about the day's news, guest interviews, comedy sketches and music performances. It is charact ...

hosted by Busy Philipps. It aired from October 28, 2018 to May 16, 2019 on E!.

Premise

''Busy Tonight'' features "everyone's favorite unfiltered Hollywood best friend giving her hilarious and outspoken opinions on the latest pop culture stories and trending topics, with candid celebrity guest interviews and original comedic segments."

Production

On May 1, 2018, it was announced that E! had given a series order to a new late-night talk show to be hosted by actress Busy Philipps. Executive producers were expected to include Julie Darmody, Eric Gurian and Philipps. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Little Stranger. On August 16, 2018, it was announced that Caissie St. Onge had been hired to serve as the series' showrunner as well as an additional executive producer. Additionally, it was announced that the series would premiere on October 28, 2018 at 10 PM and that episodes of the series were expected to air each week from Sunday to Wednesday at 10 PM EST. On October 25, 2018, it was reported that

Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for her comedic roles in sketch comedy, television and film, Fey has received List of awards and nominations received by Tina Fe ...

and David Miner had joined the series as executive producers and that Wilshire Studios would serve as an additional production company. Furthermore, it was revealed that first week guests would include Mindy Kaling,

Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Anne Hudgens ( ; born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. After making her feature film debut in '' Thirteen'' (2003), Hudgens rose to fame portraying Gabriella Montez in the ''High School Musical'' film series (200 ...

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and

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along with appearances by

Jimmy Kimmel James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967), known professionally as Jimmy Kimmel, is an American television host, comedian, writer, voice actor, and producer. He has been the host and executive producer of '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-n ...

Fred Armisen Fereydun Robert Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and writer. With his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein, he co-created and co-starred in the IFC sketch comedy series '' Portlandia''. He also co-created ...

, and

Andy Cohen Andrew Joseph Cohen (born June 2, 1968) is an American radio and television talk show host, producer, and writer. He is the host and executive producer of ''The Real Housewives'' Multimedia franchise, franchise and Bravo (American TV network), B ...

. Other first season guests were expected to include

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, Tracee Ellis Ross, Camila Mendes,

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, Jesse Tyler Ferguson,

Emily Ratajkowski Emily O'Hara Ratajkowski ( , ; born June 7, 1991) is an American model and actress. Born in London to American parents and raised in Encinitas, California, she signed to Ford Models at a young age. Her modeling debut was on the cover of the Mar ...

, Taran Killam, David Alan Grier, Tess Holliday and Tom Lenk. On January 3, 2019, it was reported that the show would be moving to a new time slot at 11 PM EST beginning on January 7, 2019. Additionally, it was reported that the show would air a live television special titled "Busy Tonight Live: Golden Globes After Party" that was to broadcast immediately following the conclusion of the 76th Golden Globe Awards. Guests for the special were expected to include

Whitney Cummings Whitney Cummings (born September 4, 1982) is an American actress, stand-up comedian, writer, producer, director, and podcaster. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004, Cummings moved to Los Angeles. She appeared in the lo ...

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, River Butcher and Ira Madison III. On May 5, 2019, Philipps announced that the series had been cancelled, with all remaining episodes airing until May 16. Philipps also stated the series would be shopped to other networks but it was not picked up.

Episodes

2018

2019

Reception

In a negative review, '' Variety''s Daniel D'Addario discussed the show's lack of identity in its first week saying, "talk demands a crystal-clear point-of-view and ''Busy Tonight'' has yet to find that, making its endless references to the language of self-help and its production excesses like the nightly lullaby feel like the antic search for a personality, not the expression of one. Some things about television shows we’ve seen before are worth keeping." In another unfavorable critique, '' The Ringer''s Rob Harvilla was equally critical saying, "''Busy Tonight'' is tough sledding unless you're a superfan of Philipps, social-media geniuses, or the adorable baby-deer stumbles of new talk shows."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Busy Tonight 2018 American television series debuts 2010s American late-night television series 2019 American television series endings American English-language television shows E! original programming Television series by Universal Television