Sam Pang Tonight: Australia's newest talk show is haunted by the spectre of Rove McManus

The Guardian

18-03-2025

For a man of such average height, Rove McManus casts a long shadow over Australian TV. Since Rove Live ended in 2009 – probably the last example of a successful talkshow on our screens – the TV landscape has become unrecognisable: the internet got invented, streaming took over, and televisions themselves got bigger but, conversely, much flatter.
McManus also manages to loom over Network 10's new talkshow gamble, Sam Pang Tonight. In his opening monologue to last night's premiere, Pang pointed out that this was the network's first late night foray since Rove. In a line that was sadly indicative of the calibre of jokes to follow, Pang then called himself the 'Asian Rove: say ni hao to your mum for me'.
Sam Pang, a common and beloved sight on various 10 panel shows, and fresh from a couple of popular stints hosting the Logies, is an understandable choice for host. But Sam Pang Tonight's immediate genuflection to Rove belied an obvious fear that nestles in the breast of the program: is Australia finally ready to break the late night talkshow curse?
Since Rove Live's final broadcast, there have been multiple attempts to find that magic again – most of them dying lonely and quickly forgotten deaths. Rove even rebooted his own show in LA, which, unfortunately, ended up Rove Dead. Channel Ten then tried again in 2018 with Saturday Night Rove, which they cancelled after only two episodes. Other, less Rove-centric attempts ensued, such as the ABC's 2018 youth-based comedy talkshow, Tonightly With Tom Ballard, which was cancelled after a year due to poor ratings. Recently in 2023, the ABC tried a talkshow format helmed by Fran Kelly, called Frankly, which was axed after a single season. It feels like anyone who tries to wear Rove's crown suffers a terrible demise.
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Broadcast TV is a difficult market in general right now, with a glut of content spread across hundreds of channels and streaming services, competing with YouTube and other online content. It's hard for a show to make any impact, regardless of its worth. Even in the US – the spiritual home of the late night talkshow – the heavy-hitters have seen a decline in audiences.
'If I were a 25-year-old whose dream was to host a late-night show, I would have some concerns,' Late Night host Seth Meyers told The Town podcast recently. 'But at the same time … they're not watching Late Night, so they're probably not dreaming about doing it.'
And Sam Pang Tonight unabashedly follows in the footsteps of the US, with a tongue-in-cheek promo showing Pang watching Colbert and taking notes on the jokes he can plagiarise. The show's format itself clearly took notes too: a cold open (last night's was a sketch with music legend Paul Kelly failing to come up with a theme song), an opening monologue from the host, forced studio laughter, and a stage bedecked in a generic cityscape backdrop.
The two guests on Sam Pang Live were where the differences became clear: instead of Hollywood glitterati, we were treated to a long interview with 'Australia's first movie star', the delightful film legend Jack Thompson – perhaps a pessimistic nod to the general age of network TV viewers. The other guest was a trauma doctor, answering comedic questions on topics such as the medical validity of Rambo cauterising a wound with gunpowder. Both interviews felt awkward and too long, with Pang seemingly nervous throughout.
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Sam Pang Tonight was the most charming when it wasn't imitating the US format, but playing into the self-deprecating humour that both Pang and Australian comedy in general is known for: my favourite segment featured vox pops asking a bunch of young influencers 'do you know who Sam Pang is?', to which the answer was a blanket 'no'.
Sam Pang Tonight isn't trying anything new, but a talkshow doesn't really need to. Rove Live, while fun and playful, was essentially the same as its overseas competitors; and if we look to the UK, where the Graham Norton Show seems to only be increasing in popularity, it has a very simple formula of 'interesting guests on a couch'.
For late night TV to work you need the mysterious confluence
of a talented and charismatic host, the right guests, the right time slot and, crucially, enough time. Sam Pang Tonight might not have it yet, but it's only been one episode: it'll take a while longer to bottle the lightning that makes late night TV magic.
Sam Pang Tonight airs on Mondays at 8:40pm on Network Ten and 10 Play