Television has given us its share of great comedy teams over the years, including..
Abbott & Costello, who'd already conquered movies & radio.
Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis (ditto).
Ralph Kramden & Ed Norton (Jackie Gleason & Art Carney, The Honeymooners).
Fred & Lamont Sanford (Redd Foxx & Demond Wilson, Sanford & Son).
Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble (Alan Reed & Mel Blanc, The Flintstones).
Ben Stein & Jimmy Kimmel (Win Ben Stein's Money).
Unfortunately, NBC picked now to give us one of the worst.
More than 50 years since it ended its first run on NBC, the College Bowl returned Tuesday night for a 10 week summer run. However, there's a couple of things wrong with it. To wit:
1. It's on at the wrong time (10 pm ET makes no sense, since the original Bowl aired on Sunday afternoons or early evenings on CBS & NBC between 1959-70).
2. Entrusting hosting duties to telegenically challenged Peyton Manning, with brother Cooper as his sidekick, is even worse. The brothers are also given executive producer credit (along with brother Eli), but it's clear after week 1 that Peyton never took a course in Game Show MC 101.
Now, I get what they're trying to do with the Mannings here. They're ripping off ABC's revival of To Tell The Truth, which has host Anthony Anderson trading quips with his mom during the game. I'd say they were also trying for the Stein-Kimmel vibe, but, nope. Instead, they come across as NBC's answer to the Pyle cousins, Goober & Gomer (George Lindsey & Jim Nabors, The Andy Griffith Show), despite Cooper being the more telegenic of the two.
NBC's YouTube channel offers a trailer:
Peyton's problem, as demonstrated in the first episode, is that he leaves the Q & A cards on the desk, instead of picking one up and reading it in such a way that allows him to have some eye contact with the contestants. His ESPN+ series, Peyton's Places, is reality show fluff that he's more comfortable with.
But, then, you have to ask, what are the chances NBC & Capital One, along with Universal & Village Roadshow, brings this back next year?
Maybe this helps:
Maybe Peyton should see about doing a remake of "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town". That's more his speed.
Rating: C-.
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