★★★★★ 0/5

Rove LA

Rove's return to TV after nearly two years was an intimate affair that reminded us he is a performer at home with an audience.

40
Leave a comment

Rove McManus is still saying hi to his mum, only this time he’s sending her a postcard from Los Angeles.

In his new US-based chat show, Rove LA, McManus slipped back into the TV spotlight with ease.

It’s been nearly two years since he left the regular grind of television to pursue US opportunities. After nothing permanent had eventuated the former TEN host forged a win / win deal with Foxtel. He gets to reside in the US and Foxtel gets a new chat show with US guests.

Following on from Hamish & Andy’s Gap Year, it’s the second show in recent months to locate in the US but broadcast for the Aussie market. Unlike his former castmates, McManus is a lot more comfortable bantering with guests and his audience than filling his show with pre-recorded segments.

This time there is no desk, merely a couch and coffee table, in front of an intimate audience. There’s no band, no sidekick, no guest act. When McManus arrives in front of an audience made up of both Australians and Americans, his three guests are already seated on the sofa, where they remained throughout the show.

McManus chatted to all three across the show in a group discussion. Unlike Parkinson, there was no focus on a single guest -although Jerry Ferrara had to work to be heard above Kathy Griffin and Lisa Kudrow. Both were old pals, as demonstrated by some dodgy footage of the two acting in a scene together before they were stars. My how they’ve changed.

The sole filmed segment to an adult expo (we’re in LA after all) produced a bizarre woman whose butt-cheeks, when suitably shaken, made an audible clapping noise. Only in America. McManus gave photos of Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to a bisexual woman asking who she preferred. The less said about the “fiery bush” reply, the better. Seriously.

There were spontaneous moments with the studio audience, including SLiDE actor Brenton Thwaites watching on.

Getting Jerry Ferrara to taste Vegemite was about as cliche as they come -but even the host conceded it.

Just as his return to the cameras after the death of Belinda Emmett reminded us, McManus’ is a performer at home with an audience. He is often maligned for his interviewing skills, but he has a great rapport with his guests and the ability to work off script. On FOX8 you get the feeling the show is something of a private affair, it’s not being seen by anybody other than those who pay for the privilege. And that may well lend itself to some candid, off-Broadway moments that serve it rather well.

Rove LA airs 8:30pm Mondays on FOX8.

40 Responses

  1. Pls somebody put Rove and Ashton Kutcher on a slow boat to anywhere but a television or movie studio. Both are try hards and perhaps need to move on to a day job.

  2. Rove is hilarious !!
    Why do you people have to put your sad remarks on here! You have to have the same humor as Rove to understand, I love his new series he should’ve done it years ago! He has done the absolute right thing !! Shame on you people

  3. I love Rove no end and watch him as much as possible ..however was disgusted in the other night when he passed the helium balloons to his guests and they sucked in the helium …this is so dangerous ..now im a helium sucker from way back ..but now i work with helium and suffered the migraines from busting balloons ..and BOC have trained us using the gas ..it causes death at one stage it was the 4th. highest suicide .it causes a drowning effect and was appalled to see Rove do this ..sending out the wrong message …

  4. i tried but i couldn’t keep watching. The show is lame and unoriginal surely it won’t last. Rove tries way too hard to be funny with most of his ‘jokes’ falling flat and the gimmicks (vegemite, post card to mum etc) cringeworthy. Somehow he manages to steer the interviews in a direction that becomes all about him and not his guests. Sorry but Rove LA is doesn’t cut it.

  5. I like this kind of show, and was an OK performance by Rove, but essentially it was just lame and cheesy, not as bad as Hamish and Andy, but still surely there is someone in this country that doesnt polarise an audience as much as Rove, nor tries so hard to be funny. Until that person comes along Ill continue to watch.

  6. I seriously don’t get you “die hard aussies” (Mel West) don’t get me wrong I’m Australian as well but to feel embarrased by the way Rove is supposedly portraying Australia/Australians is pathetic! get over it it’s our own fault that we’re seen the way we are.

  8. It was good. Still to Much of the old Rove Format in their for my liking but I do like the Grame Norton style get everyone on the couch for more than 5 minutes style.

    Thisconfirmed that Hamish and Andy are doing it wrong, I’ll watch again but I hope the disjointed feeling of it goes away and Rove finally kills of the last reminants of the old show and embraces the new look Rove (muscle mania) and LA format.

  9. As someone who works within the Australian TV industry, I have long been impressed with the comic talent that comes out of this country: Jason Gann, Chris Lilley, Phil Lloyd, Kath and Kim to name but a few – real ground-breakers who have carved their own path. Sure, they don’t suit everyone’s taste, but any objective television observer can acknowledge a level of excellence in their work and – more importantly – admire the way some of them have cornered certain areas of the market.

    Australia really knows how to punch above its weight in all areas of this industry (taking into account population, budgets, audience, risk and exposure).

    But I have never fully understood how Rove McManus has managed to extend what should only have been 5 minutes of fame for over ten years. I can subscribe to his methodology (Rove Live – make it safe and unchallenging so stars will happily appear to display their wares) and also to the business model (produce his own shows as to retain creative control and higher margins). As a businessman, we should all acknowledge that he – and his team – have done fantastic things. And for that he should be congratulated. He is a millionaire several times over.

    However, on watching him operate both on Ten and now Fox8, the same fundamental problems with his onscreen performance remain. He isn’t clever or funny in his joke-telling (something his guest comedians were able to cover for him 2 years ago). His interview technique, at best, is cringeworthy and uncomfortable. And his segments are evident of something we Australians already know…he tries too hard.

  11. The postcard to his mum bit at the end was a complete rip off of Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Thank You Notes’. Other than that it was good to have Rove back on the box. Will be watching next week.

  12. How can this dross possibly pay for itself? Who does Rove have photos of naked at Foxtel to get them to stump up $ for this shite? What is the point? OK I understand American celebrity type people don’t like coming down under, but really – B Grade celebs sitting around wirh Rove is hardly innovative tv. He is not funny! Geez – I am so embarrassed this is our #1 tv host.

  14. @Jaye – I hate bad spelling and punctuation so much.

    *in sight (2 words)
    *when
    *blatant
    *Graham’s
    *Geoffrey

    Sorry, but your huffiness was irresistible.

Leave a Reply