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Busy Tonight is an American late-night talk show 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.”[1]

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.[2][3][4]

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.[1][5] On October 25, 2018, it was reported that Tina Fey 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, Kristen Bell and Megan Mullally along with appearances by Jimmy Kimmel, Fred Armisen, and Andy Cohen. Other first season guests were expected to include Julia Roberts, Kim Kardashian, Tracee Ellis Ross, Camila Mendes, John Stamos, Olivia Munn, Beth Behrs, Lauren Graham, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Emily Ratajkowski, Taran Killam, David Alan Grier, Tess Holliday and Tom Lenk.[6]

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, Karamo Brown, River Butcher and Ira Madison III.[7]

On May 5, 2019, Philipps announced that the series had been cancelled, with all remaining episodes airing until May 16.[8] Philipps also stated the series would be shopped to other networks but it was not picked up.[9]

Episodes

2018

No.Featured guest(s)Original release date
1“Mindy Kaling“October 28, 2018 (2018-10-28)
Additional appearances by Samantha Bee, Andy Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Andy Richter
2“Vanessa Hudgens“October 29, 2018 (2018-10-29)
3“Kristen Bell“October 30, 2018 (2018-10-30)
4“Megan Mullally“October 31, 2018 (2018-10-31)
5“Julia Roberts“November 4, 2018 (2018-11-04)
6“John Stamos“November 5, 2018 (2018-11-05)
7“Olivia Munn“November 6, 2018 (2018-11-06)
8“Emily Ratajkowski“November 7, 2018 (2018-11-07)
9“Tina Fey & Tom Lenk“November 11, 2018 (2018-11-11)
Additional appearances by Grant Show, Elizabeth Gillies and Marc Silverstein
10“Camila Mendes“November 12, 2018 (2018-11-12)
11“Taran Killam“November 13, 2018 (2018-11-13)
12“Tess Holliday“November 14, 2018 (2018-11-14)
13“Lauren Graham“November 18, 2018 (2018-11-18)
14“Ike Barinholtz“November 19, 2018 (2018-11-19)
15“D’Arcy Carden“November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
16“Beth Behrs“November 21, 2018 (2018-11-21)
17“Tracee Ellis Ross“November 25, 2018 (2018-11-25)
18“David Alan Grier“November 26, 2018 (2018-11-26)
19“Oliver Hudson“November 27, 2018 (2018-11-27)
20“Padma Lakshmi“November 28, 2018 (2018-11-28)
21“Brian Tyree Henry“December 2, 2018 (2018-12-02)
22“Jenna Dewan“December 3, 2018 (2018-12-03)
23“Max Greenfield“December 4, 2018 (2018-12-04)
24“Chrissy Metz“December 5, 2018 (2018-12-05)
25“Kim Kardashian“December 9, 2018 (2018-12-09)
26“Wilmer Valderrama“December 10, 2018 (2018-12-10)
27“Maura Tierney & Katie Lee“December 11, 2018 (2018-12-11)
28“Jesse Tyler Ferguson“December 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
29“Julie Bowen“December 17, 2018 (2018-12-17)
30“Leslie Grossman“December 18, 2018 (2018-12-18)
31“Nicole Byer“December 19, 2018 (2018-12-19)
32“Keke Palmer“December 20, 2018 (2018-12-20)
Additional appearance by Oprah Winfrey

2019

No.Featured guest(s) [10]Original release date [10]
33“Golden Globes After Party”January 6, 2019 (2019-01-06)
Guests include: Whitney Cummings, Tom Lenk, River Butcher, Ira Madison III & Sam Greisman
34“William Jackson Harper“January 7, 2019 (2019-01-07)
35“Howie Mandel“January 8, 2019 (2019-01-08)
36“Connie Britton“January 9, 2019 (2019-01-09)
37“Patti LaBelle“January 10, 2019 (2019-01-10)
38“Susan Kelechi Watson“January 14, 2019 (2019-01-14)
39“Linda Cardellini“January 15, 2019 (2019-01-15)
40“Andy Samberg & Donte Colley”January 16, 2019 (2019-01-16)
Additional appearance by Akiva Schaffer
41“Sarah Chalke“January 17, 2019 (2019-01-17)
42“Terry Crews“January 21, 2019 (2019-01-21)
43“Jonathan Van Ness“January 22, 2019 (2019-01-22)
44“Cobie Smulders“January 23, 2019 (2019-01-23)
45“Josh Radnor“January 24, 2019 (2019-01-24)
46“Aldis Hodge featuring Tom Lenk“January 28, 2019 (2019-01-28)
47“Chris Sullivan“January 29, 2019 (2019-01-29)
48“Josh Groban“January 30, 2019 (2019-01-30)
49“Cecily Strong“January 31, 2019 (2019-01-31)
50“Nina Dobrev“February 4, 2019 (2019-02-04)
51“Ron Funches“February 5, 2019 (2019-02-05)
52“Jemima Kirke & Katelyn Ohashi“February 6, 2019 (2019-02-06)
53“Michelle Williams“February 7, 2019 (2019-02-07)
54“Daniel Radcliffe“February 11, 2019 (2019-02-11)
55“Eliza Coupe“February 12, 2019 (2019-02-12)
56“Adam Devine“February 13, 2019 (2019-02-13)
57“Pete Holmes“February 14, 2019 (2019-02-14)
58“Kandi Burruss“February 18, 2019 (2019-02-18)
59“The Bella Twins“February 19, 2019 (2019-02-19)
60“Mark Duplass“February 20, 2019 (2019-02-20)
Additional appearance by Wolfgang Puck
61“Sonequa Martin-Green featuring James Vincent McMorrow“February 21, 2019 (2019-02-21)
62“Phoebe Robinson & Christian Siriano“February 25, 2019 (2019-02-25)
Additional appearance by Tom Lenk
63“Jenna Fischer“February 26, 2019 (2019-02-26)
Additional appearance by Steve Carell
64“Isla Fisher“February 27, 2019 (2019-02-27)
65“Shane West“February 28, 2019 (2019-02-28)
66“America Ferrera“March 4, 2019 (2019-03-04)
Additional appearance by Gigi Gorgeous
67“Margaret Cho & Elizabeth Chambers“March 5, 2019 (2019-03-05)
68“Lauren Cohan & Toni Harris“March 6, 2019 (2019-03-06)
69“Justina Machado, Rita Moreno & Gloria Calderon Kellett“March 7, 2019 (2019-03-07)
70“Eric McCormack“March 11, 2019 (2019-03-11)
71“Maya Erskine & Anna Konkle“March 12, 2019 (2019-03-12)
72“Christina Hendricks“March 13, 2019 (2019-03-13)
Additional appearance by Retta
73“Rita Wilson & Johnathan Rice“March 14, 2019 (2019-03-14)
74“Cole Sprouse & Haley Lu Richardson“March 18, 2019 (2019-03-18)
75“Taye Diggs“March 19, 2019 (2019-03-19)
76“Lisa Rinna“March 20, 2019 (2019-03-20)
77“Courteney Cox“March 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)
Additional appearances by Ian Gomez, Josh Hopkins, and Christa Miller
78“Joseph Gordon-Levitt“April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
79“Logic“April 2, 2019 (2019-04-02)
80“Jaime King, Justin Chu Cary, Jessica Cauffiel & Brittany Daniel“April 3, 2019 (2019-04-03)
81“Natalie Morales“April 4, 2019 (2019-04-04)
Additional appearance by Karley Sciortino
82“Mandy Moore“April 8, 2019 (2019-04-08)
Additional appearance by Chris Sullivan
83“Tony Hale“April 9, 2019 (2019-04-09)
84“Michelle Monaghan & Whitney Cummings“April 10, 2019 (2019-04-10)
85“Nikolaj Coster-Waldau“April 11, 2019 (2019-04-11)
86“Cedric the Entertainer & Tom Lenk“April 15, 2019 (2019-04-15)
87“Robin Tunney“April 16, 2019 (2019-04-16)
88“DeWanda Wise & Brittany Snow“April 17, 2019 (2019-04-17)
Additional appearances by Chris Harrison and Colton Underwood
89“Chad Michael Murray“April 18, 2019 (2019-04-18)
90“Lizzo“April 22, 2019 (2019-04-22)
91“Ben Feldman & Duff Goldman“April 23, 2019 (2019-04-23)
Additional appearance by Jon Barinholtz
92“Colin Hanks“April 24, 2019 (2019-04-24)
93“Lake Bell, Steve Lemme & Kevin Heffernan“April 25, 2019 (2019-04-25)
94“Martin Short“April 29, 2019 (2019-04-29)
95“Geena Davis“April 30, 2019 (2019-04-30)
96“Emma Roberts“May 1, 2019 (2019-05-01)
97“Michael Ealy“May 2, 2019 (2019-05-02)
98“Retta“May 6, 2019 (2019-05-06)
Additional appearance by Andrew Bird
99“Topher Grace, Angela Kinsey & Joshua Snyder”May 7, 2019 (2019-05-07)
Additional appearance by Tom Lenk
100“Josh Hopkins & Kevin Morby“May 8, 2019 (2019-05-08)
101“Tom Ellis & Rachael Harris“May 9, 2019 (2019-05-09)
Additional appearances by Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley
102“Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer & Paula Pell“May 13, 2019 (2019-05-13)
103“Chelsea Handler & Middle Kids“May 14, 2019 (2019-05-14)
104“Leslie Mann“May 15, 2019 (2019-05-15)
Additional appearances by David Letterman and Brendan Fraser
105“Surprise Guests!”May 16, 2019 (2019-05-16)
Guests include: Linda Cardellini. Michelle Williams, Jennifer Carpenter, Whitney Cummings and Christa Miller

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.”[11] 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.”[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Iannucci, Rebecca (August 16, 2018). “Busy Philipps’ Late-Night Talk Show Gets October Premiere at E!”. TVLine. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  2. ^ Holloway, Daniel (May 1, 2018). “Busy Philipps Late-Night Show Among Six New E! Series”. Variety. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  3. ^ Petski, Denise (May 1, 2018). “E!: Ashlee Simpson-Ross & Evan Ross, Busy Philipps Series, ‘E! True Hollywood Story’ Return Among Series Greenlights”. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  4. ^ Kinane, Ruth (May 1, 2018). “Busy Philipps to host late-night E! talk show”. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  5. ^ Malec, Brett (August 16, 2018). “Busy Philipps’ Talk Show Busy Tonight to Premiere Oct. 28 on E!”. E! News. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise (October 25, 2018). “Tina Fey Joins ‘Busy Tonight’ E! Talk Show As Executive Producer”. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  7. ^ Petski, Denise (January 3, 2019). “E!’s ‘Busy Tonight’ Moves To 11 PM Timeslot”. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  8. ^ Roxborough, Scott (May 6, 2019). “E! Cancels Busy Philipps’ Talk Show ‘Busy Tonight’“. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  9. ^ White, Peter (May 6, 2019). “E! Cancels Talk Show ‘Busy Tonight’; Busy Philipps Reveals End Date & Plans To Shop Series Elsewhere In Late-Night Instagram Post”. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  10. ^ a b “Shows A-Z – busy tonight on e | TheFutonCritic.com”. The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  11. ^ D’Addario, Daniel (November 1, 2018). “TV Review: Busy Philipps’ ‘Busy Tonight’“. Variety. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  12. ^ Harvilla, Rob (October 31, 2018). “Hasan Minhaj’s and Busy Philipps’s Radically Different Late-Night Shows”. The Ringer. Retrieved November 5, 2018.