Actor/comedian Will Arnett attends the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' 22nd Annual Hall of Fame Induction Gala in 2013. Arnett will be a producer on a new version of the 1970s and 1980s talent show “The Gong Show,” ABC said Monday. (Photo : Getty Images/ Alberto E. Rodriguez)
"The Gong Show" will be making a comeback at ABC. The network revealed a 10-episode run of the show and will be executive produced by Will Arnett.
Every episode of the "Going Show" will celebrate unique and untraditional talented performers originally plucked from the Internet and put them on a primetime television. According to Entertainment Weekly, a revolving panel of celebrity judges featuring Hollywood stars will praise, critique and strike the gong if needed.
Sony Pictures Television franchised the original talent competition of "The Gong Show" that ran on NBC from 1976 to 1989. The unconventional variety show featured people with unusual talents and in some cases, those with a complete lack of talent who told jokes, performed routines, sang and danced for a panel of judges and any of the celebrity judges could stop an act by hitting a big gong.
Also, to be involved in the production of "The Gong Show" is Electric Avenue Productions along Den of Thieves and Principato Young Entertainment. Arnett will not be hosting, as reported by Variety, but he will be joining ABC's rotating panel of celebrity judges featuring some of Hollywood faces making their way back to the TV in the form of game shows.
In a news release, Holly Jacobs, executive vice president of reality and syndication programming said, "The comedy culture we are living in has finally caught up to "The Gong Show." He added that the team has found just the right partners to bring back this iconic original.
"The Gong Show" is the latest game show to receive the revival at ABC which also is home to Alec Baldwin's "Match Game," Michael Strahan's "$100,000 Pyramid" and Steve Harvey's "Celebrity Family Feud." Fans of "The Gong Show" best remember it for bringing talent such as "The Unknown Comic" plus "Gene Gene the Dancing Machine" into the pop culture zeitgeist.
In addition to Arnett, other exec producers on "The Gong Show" are Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Peter Principato. Jordan Barrow, Jared Morell and Marc Forman will be co-exec producers.
