TV Land to Test Late-Night Waters With ‘Throwing Shade’

TV Land wants a taste of late night, entering the segment with a series pickup for Throwing Shade, a popular podcast and Funny or Die video series. The cable net has ordered 10 episodes and pegged January 2017 for the premiere. The show will air weekly at 11 p.m.

The political and pop culture show, which will have a live audience, is hosted by Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi, who promise to bring “their unique perspective to the hottest topics of today, from feminism and gay rights to the latest celebrity nonsense,” according to TV Land.

“This amazing, weird brainchild of Erin and Bryan translates perfectly into a weekly late night show,” said Keith Cox, executive VP, development and original programming, TV Land. “We can’t wait to see them take on the most recent and ridiculous news of 2017.”

Gibson and Safi launched the “Throwing Shade” podcast in 2011 and a yearly, multi-city stage show in 2012. In 2013, Funny Or Die picked it up for a video series.

The TV Land show will be executive produced by Gibson and Safi, as well as Funny Or Die’s Andrew Steele, Anna Wenger and Joe Farrell. Charlie Siskel (Tosh.0) will executive produce and run the show.

Several cable nets are vying to be players in the late night space. In February, History debuted Night Class, a 30-minute, “short-form, late-night comedy block,” the same month TBS debuted Full Frontal With Samantha Bee. And Freeform announced late night concepts at its upfront presentation earlier this month.  

TV Land is part of Viacom.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.