I have registered a new reality TV show concept focused on stand-up comedians with WGA (Writers Guild of America). And this concept actually has a significant measure of real credibility attached to it, as opposed to many of the reality TV offerings you may have seen on the boob tube.
While I can’t give all the specific details about the concept, I can tell you this…
Most every comedian who has been performing any amount of time has been involved in some sort of stand-up comedy competition. And the person who ultimately wins one of those comedy competitions is many times NOT the funniest comedian.
There are usually other “factors” such as politics involved.
The same is true with reality TV shows involving stand-up comedians. Take Last Comic Standing for example. The outcome of that program didn’t necessarily focus on which comedian was actually the absolute, drop dead, make an audience choke to death, funniest comedian in many cases. The participants and the winners were known in advance and the “story line” was more based on predetermined dramatic situations, presentation and production values to grow and maintain viewership.
And I have to say that I understand why completely.
Reality TV (or any television program for that matter) is dependent upon profitability to survive, no matter what the reality TV concept is about. TV show profitability is directly related to viewership.
Limited viewership = limited advertisers = limited income = a dead show
If you cannot build a large enough TV audience, you simply do not have a viable TV show, no matter how great a relatively few people may think that it is.
But what would happen if…
There was a reality TV show that DID focus on the actual skill and ability of stand-up comedians — specifically focusing on and determining which comedians were THE funniest comedians?
I’m talking about a reality TV show that’s not focused on:
- Politics or whose relative or “buddy” is in the line up
- Judges who make subjective determinations
- Audiences who make subjective determinations that are not reflective of their actual laughter response
- Post performance audience applause
- Whether or not a comedian has that “TV look”, or can exacerbate some sort of predefined dramatic situation on camera
- How many of the comedian’s friends or family are in the audience
What I am talking about is determining a comedian’s true skill and ability to generate big laughs, based on actual measured audience reaction during their performance (laughter, cheering and applause). Needless to say, I would recommend that this accessment be determined using my patent pending Comedy Evaluator Pro software.
So, now the big questions are these:
Would a reality TV concept that determines who really is the funniest comedian based on measured audience reaction generated during a performance be a viable reality TV concept for a show?
Would such a reality TV show attract and retain viewers? Would it contain all the drama, anticipation, controversy and excitement needed to engage an audience and keep them watching when the next show arrives on the air?
I am very interested in hearing your opinion because…
I am going to find out soon whether or not my new reality TV concept involving stand-up comedians actually has what it takes to make it on TV.
And I will tell you this — I think it does. 
UPDATE: Check out my article in response to a killer comment that I got about this reality TV show concept involving stand-up comedians!
I will keep you informed as this adventure progresses!
Cheers,
Steve Roye
The Professor of Funny for Money
About the Author/Founder of The Stand-up Comedy Professional
Steve Roye is the author of the
Killer Stand-up Comedy System and author of the content made available in the
Comedy Pro Membership Program available on this site.
Over the past decade, Steve has established himself as a leading, globally recognized expert in the field of stand-up comedy material development, delivery and entertainment business strategies for comedy entertainers as well as speaking professionals.
For more information about Steve, please check out the About The Author section on this site.
Below is a fantastic comment and real opportunity for me to educate comedians and audience members alike about the simple, yet largely hidden dynamics of stand-up comedy.
In my opinion, there is only