20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy Everett Collection; (C)CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on Reddit Post a Comment Share on Whats App Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Print the Article Share on Tumblr 'Thicke of the Night' Image Credit: Screenshot YEAR: 1983-84 EPISODES: 49 A year before he became known as the dad from Growing Pains, Alan Thicke was tapped to headline a late show after hosting a daytime talk show in Canada. A way-too-long 90-minute format got lost in syndication, but by the time they retooled it to 60 minutes, it was too late. Thicke, who died in 2016, once said the show was "ahead of its time - it should have been on in 2084, when all of us are dead." 'The Late Show Staring Joan Rivers' Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy Everett Collection YEAR: 1986-87 EPISODES: 331 The funnywoman was Johnny Carson's longtime Tonight Show fill-in host, but in 1986, after suffering various slights by NBC, she struck out on her own. Ratings started moderately OK but quickly sank, and various affiliates griped about having to carry the show at all. As for Carson, he learned of the new time-slot competition watching a press conference on TV. He never spoke to Rivers again. 'The Pat Sajak Show' Image Credit: CBS/ Courtesy Everett Collection YEAR: 1989-90 EPISODES: 298 Before luring David Letterman from NBC in 1993, CBS had no late night franchise. The Wheel of Fortune host was chosen for his affability and quick wit, but he proved a bland host in the late night format. The Arsenio Hall Show debuted the same month in syndication and quickly became the next-generation late night show of choice. The show was canceled in 1990 because of low ratings. 'The Chevy Chase Show' Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection YEAR: 1993 EPISODES: 29 Launched the week between the debuts of Late Show With David Letterman and Late Night With Conan O'Brien, the show drew vicious reviews that complained of obnoxious audiences and the host's desperate, failed attempts at pratfalling into America's hearts. After canceling it a month later, then-Fox Broadcasting chair Lucie Salhany said "it was uncomfortable and embarrassing to watch." 'The Magic Hour' Image Credit: 0th Century Fox Film Corp./courtesy Everett Collection YEAR: 1998 EPISODES: 12 Basketball great Magic Johnson was not, it turns out, such a great talk show host. THR was kinder than other critics, saying Johnson's "gentle and kind persona, so perfect for an interviewee, was too weak for an interviewer." Johnson's sidekick, meanwhile, comedian Craig Shoemaker, had such terrible chemistry with the host that he was fired on the third episode - during a commercial break. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Pee-wee Herman A Tense Dynamic With Paul Reubens Led to The Moving 'Pee-wee as Himself' Live Feed TV Ratings: 'South Park' On-Air Viewers Surge With Season 27's Second Episode sponsored When to Stream 'American Prince: JFK Jr.' on CNN with DIRECTV Live Feed 'The Gilded Age' Star Harry Richardson Delves Into Larry Russell's Relationship With Marian Brook Heading Into Finale Live Feed Kristi Noem Fires Back at 'South Park' for Mocking Her Looks Live Feed Latest 'Dexter' Victim Teases Another Resurrection: "I Wouldn't Count Anything Out" 'Thicke of the Night' Image Credit: Screenshot YEAR: 1983-84 EPISODES: 49 A year before he became known as the dad from Growing Pains, Alan Thicke was tapped to headline a late show after hosting a daytime talk show in Canada. A way-too-long 90-minute format got lost in syndication, but by the time they retooled it to 60 minutes, it was too late. Thicke, who died in 2016, once said the show was "ahead of its time - it should have been on in 2084, when all of us are dead." 'The Late Show Staring Joan Rivers' Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy Everett Collection YEAR: 1986-87 EPISODES: 331 The funnywoman was Johnny Carson's longtime Tonight Show fill-in host, but in 1986, after suffering various slights by NBC, she struck out on her own. Ratings started moderately OK but quickly sank, and various affiliates griped about having to carry the show at all. As for Carson, he learned of the new time-slot competition watching a press conference on TV. He never spoke to Rivers again. 'The Pat Sajak Show' Image Credit: CBS/ Courtesy Everett Collection YEAR: 1989-90 EPISODES: 298 Before luring David Letterman from NBC in 1993, CBS had no late night franchise. The Wheel of Fortune host was chosen for his affability and quick wit, but he proved a bland host in the late night format. The Arsenio Hall Show debuted the same month in syndication and quickly became the next-generation late night show of choice. The show was canceled in 1990 because of low ratings. 'The Chevy Chase Show' Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection YEAR: 1993 EPISODES: 29 Launched the week between the