Explainer: Talk shows' origin, history, notable Indian and international examples
Talk shows—which can be categorized as a branch of reality TV—teem with charm and candidness and are heavy with revelations that make front-page news. Honest and with a no-holds-barred approach, they brim with never-seen-before insights into the lives of celebrities. How did talk shows begin? What are some of the most popular examples from around the world? Let's find out.
The history of talk shows
Talk shows have been around for over seven decades now and while they keep going through many changes, the basic skeleton remains the same. Joe Franklin, an American radio and television personality and author, reportedly hosted the first television talk show in 1951—The Joe Franklin Show. He is credited with inventing and popularizing the format and he hosted it for over four decades.
Franklin's thoughts about his show
Franklin, who hosted numerus notable names on his show, once said that he received about a thousand calls a day from people who wanted to be on his show. "My show was often like zoo," said Franklin. He hosted celebrities such as filmmaker-actor Woody Allen, actor Dustin Hoffman, comedian-actor Bill Cosby, actor-singer Liza Minnelli, and singer-actor Barbra Streisand, among others.
The different categories of shows
Talk shows can be of different types and cannot be straitjacketed into one broad category. While a lot of them focus on conversations with actors, singers, and other celebrities, some of them focus on also including the audience members in the conversation. Political interviews, self-help shows, and programs aimed at societal development fit in the category of talk shows, too.
Examples from America
Some of the most popular Hollywood talk shows are Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, The Graham Norton Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Made in Hollywood, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Comedians in Cars Geeting Coffee, Real Time with Bill Maher. Most of these ran for multiple seasons and have featured noted Hollywood and international celebrities.
Examples from India
Examples of popular Indian talk shows include The Kapil Sharma Show/Comedy Nights With Kapil, Koffee With Karan, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, Unstoppable with NBK, Satyamev Jayate, Aap Ki Adalat, What Women Want, Desi Vibes with Shehnaaz Gill, and Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai. You can also check out Breakfast With Champions, The Anupam Kher Show, and Neeya Naana, among others.
