Forgotten TV: Stand Up Spotlight (1988)

Part of the deal that brought comedienne and future talk show host Rosie O'Donnell to VH-1 in the late 80's apparently included giving her the opportunity to host the channel's answer to sister station MTV's Half Hour Comedy Hour.

It wasn't enough that O'Donnell would do top-of-the-hour airchecks using other people's names (i.e. Sally Jessy Raphael) for cheap laughs. Now, she had a weekly half-hour show that competed with MTV, as well as A & E's An Evening At The Improv (a hour-long late night show) for viewers' funny bones. Stand Up Spotlight lasted virtually the length of O'Donnell's tenure at VH-1, and was met at this desk with a stifled yawn. Check it out for yourself.

Edit, 9/21/25: Have to change the video to this short excerpt.



It wasn't long after this that there were two comedy networks that later merged together to form today's Comedy Central, a sister network to VH-1 & MTV. Unfortunately, CC can't be bothered to dust off reruns of this show, back when Rosie was actually interesting, and not a bloviator ranting endlessly at a certain New York demagogue now residing in Washington.......

Rating: B.