Kyle and Jackie O’s Night with the Stars
Making the transition from radio to television is never easy, but Kyle and Jackie O would do well to better understand the core Seven audience.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under Programming, Reviews
Ok until now I’ve been a bit cheeky, with a few broadsides about the impending special by Kyle and Jackie O.
I figure given they dish it out they’re up for a bit of sporting fun. But let me put on my serious hat given I’ve now seen the show.
On a positive note, the radio penetration by Sandilands and O, otherwise known as Jackie Henderson, is outstanding. They have dominated markets, they have scored major interviews and exclusives (as recently as yesterday) and they attract media attention with regularity. Love them or loathe them, they have shown they resonate with radio audiences, built around Sandilands’ gift of the gab.
Television is a different animal. While Sandilands has proven successful on at least three profile shows (Australian Idol, Australia’a Got Talent and The X Factor), Jackie O is yet to forge any success. She is frequently branded the “kiss of death,” including some shows that were poorly produced and beyond her control.
Radio stars crossing to Television is littered with casualties. For some perplexing reason, so many media stars are never satisfied with being at the top of their game in one medium. Must they have it all?
The first sign of trouble on Kyle and Jackie O’s Night with the Stars was the poor audio quality, with a hollow studio vacuum that lacked intimacy.
A huge desk that separating the hosts from the guests exacerbated this intimacy.
A studio audience could be heard applauding, but there were no shots of them. On occasions there was even canned applause. While Sandilands has taken many famous potshots at Rove McManus, he has seemingly learned little from his kind about creating an environment that invites the viewer into the space.
The stars that appeared on the show might suit a Gen Y radio audience but I suspect many of Seven’s broad audience would have been waiting for the stars to arrive. We got Nick Cannon, Janice Dickinson, Kendra Wilkinson and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino. Most have made their names working in Reality TV shows which play in Australia on Pay Television.
Each attempted to be upbeat and laugh along with the hosts, with an occasional anecdote. Cannon’s story about a charity and Wilkinson sharing a story about her father-in-law having cancer were the best of an otherwise dull bunch.
Kyle and Jackie O. talked a lot. A lot. It often felt like everyone was talking “at” each other rather than “with” each other, in an effort to top the preceding remark either in volume or punchlines.
Too much of the programme consisted of three people talking at one time. As a result it lacked direction.
Sandilands also fronted a few pre-recorded clips, the best of which was him getting bored during a Justin Bieber interview. At least it showed a bit of his trademark snark.
Jackie O. spent an inordinate amount of time wading through Top 5 lists of celebrity marriages, separations like they were important until we hit rock bottom with a list of celebrity nude photos, peppered by Janice Dickinson’s escapades with former sexual partners. What had we done to deserve this?
The more base these conversations got the more thrill the subjects seemed to elicit. Are ratings points directly proportionate to the amount of times we can say the words sex, naked or appendages?
At Dickinson’s request, Sandlilands also opted to go the grope with her enhanced boobs. When in LA, I guess…
By this time I was wondering if the show had any understanding of the core audience. Was I really watching the same network with Packed to the Rafters and Downton Abbey?
Thankfully the charming Michael Buble saved the day, via satellite, with an all too brief chat before we got a video clip.
Kyle and Jackie O’s Night with the Stars was a very long affair without enough depth or comedy. As television it made for good radio.
68 Responses
I do not know what everyone is complaining about. It rated quite well nearly 600,000 for a time slot from basically 10pm to 11.30pm. Most shows at that time rate about 250,000 to 300,000. Big win for seven
I watched up to the Kendra interview. I thought it was really rude to interrupt the interview to cross to Justin Beiber.
The whole format, set just didn’t work.
Was it just me or was the picture quality really bad too. I couldn’t last for more than 15mins. I’m Gen Y but I don’t think these ‘stars’ were actually ‘stars’.
Thanks for taking one for the team David. It’s good to know you watched it so we don’t have to.
This was awful, real crap. Embarrassing really.
David, just reading your review made my skin crawl. Imagine how dirty I would have felt if I’d actually watched the program.
Very well written, David. A good summary. Thank you.
it was an absolute joke. They made me appreciate how great Rove is at interviewing and the calibre of real stars that he can attract on his show.
A complete dud, they should stick to radio.
Another example of media culture building bubbles around these so-called ‘celebrities’. They think the rest of Australia really give a toss about their stupid, immature, cheesy ‘antics’. Get over yourselves, you are not celebrities, or ‘stars’ for that matter, just a couple of egotistical w*nkers who get waaay too much airtime. Pfft
Quite right, David. It was utter rubbish. Not even worthy of a secondary channel like 7TWO, Go! or Eleven
I thought it was a train wreck I turned it off after the Nick Cannon interview! Even that was a achievement in itself! Jackie O was a disaster waiting to happen in that interview.
Hope there is not another episode.
Would be interested in what the ratings where since it did not start about 30 minutes after the scheduled start time which obviously did not help any.
I lasted about 2 minutes at the start but I did switch over a couple of other times to see what was happening. It was a train wreck of a show and I doubt we’ll see Kyle host another show, he is that bad!
I reckon that Kyle will think it was brilliant though and I guess that is the most important thing, who cares what the viewers think!!
Yuk. I did not like this,yuk yuk, I wan’t expecting , unfortunately, Enough rope, but something classier, in-depth genuine interviews, more like mates having coffee after work,.
I have never heard the Kyle and Jackie O show living in QLD, so I can see I’m not missing out on anything, no offense to them, it was yuk.
Maybe if there was less talk about sex, fake boobs and six packs and a healthy does of genuine career thoughts etc it just may be watchable…
Roll on How I Met Your Mother repeats….
as a fan, fair review
…and any of this comes as a surprise?
Seven has dived early to dish up this sort of rubbish this far out from Xmas and the January close down. Imagine what the second week of January ’12 could bring? Scary. Vile Kyle and Jackie Ouch! always brings to mind: “the emptiest vessel makes the most noise”. Bang on.
I for one thought it was great. Totally agree with you re: sevens core audience, the audio etc. But I thought it was really funny in parts. Janice Dickinson saved the show in my opinion. I notice on Kyle & Jackie O’s facebook, reaction is mixed. But take my housemate as an example… ‘I really want to go to bed but I don’t want to stop watching this’. There’s an audience out the for this. I thought it was good to see something different on tv. We have seen the stock standard celebrity interviews before. Leave the boring interviews to Tara Brown and Brad Pitt.
I for one thought it was great. Totally agree with you re: sevens core audience, the audio etc.
But I thought it was really funny in parts. Janice Dickinson saved the show in my opinion.
I notice on Kyle & Jackie O’s facebook, reaction is mixed. But take my housemate as an example… ‘I really want to go to bed but I don’t want to stop watching this’.
There’s an audience out the for this. I thought it was good to see something different on tv. We have seen the stock standard celebrity interviews before. Leave the boring interviews to Tara Brown and Brad Pitt.
Jackie O did successfully host the original season of Popstars though, David. That show was a huge hit.
“As television it made for good radio.” Hahaha. That made me laugh.
On a more serious note, I think Seven is warming these two up for a regular show on TV. Maybe a Saturday night show or a late night stint?
I saw this on the EPG last night and thought it must be a misprint. Kyle and Jackie O on TV? Didn’t TV learn last time they were given a show?
I point blank refused to watch it. Anything with those two hosting is invariably going to be tripe. Seems like my instincts were spot on.
That was the ugliest desk I’ve ever seen
It sounds like it exceeded epectations in all areas. Two stars is way above my perception of these folk…..
Glad its crap, I hate Sandilands. Dont forget that he was the last host on Big Brother and Idol as well.