or


[01/10/24 - 08:11 AM]
FOX Nation Taps Dennis Miller to Host New Docuseries Titled "The Infomercials That Sold Us"
Premiering today, January 10, Miller will provide a nostalgic and poignant look back at the years when infomercials ruled late-night TV, featuring interviews with the colorful characters who made these ads so entertaining.

[via press release from FOX Nation]

FOX NATION TAPS DENNIS MILLER TO HOST NEW DOCUSERIES TITLED "THE INFOMERCIALS THAT SOLD US"

NEW YORK - JANUARY 10, 2024 - FOX Nation, FOX News Media's streaming service, has debuted a new three-episode series hosted by comedian Dennis Miller, entitled "The Infomercials That Sold Us," announced Lauren Petterson, president of the platform. Premiering today, January 10, Miller will provide a nostalgic and poignant look back at the years when infomercials ruled late-night TV, featuring interviews with the colorful characters who made these ads so entertaining.

In making the announcement, Petterson said, "We're excited to kick off 2024 with legendary comedian Dennis Miller guiding viewers through the early days of the infomercial phenomenon which played a pivotal role in the cultural zeitgeist of that era."

Miller added, "I am very proud to be a part of this project. It's easy to dismiss the Willy Loman's who hawked products on late night TV as nothing more than easy punchlines. But 'The Infomercials That Sold Us' shows us the humanity of these pitch people; who came from nothing and, armed with self-belief and perhaps a fine mop, made themselves wealthy and famous. It's the ultimate American success story."

Over the course of three episodes, Miller will walk viewers through the days when infomercials were lucrative, and all celebrities wanted in on the action. The docuseries will feature sit down interviews with Hollywood fan favorites including the late Suzanne Somers, who sat down for one of her final in-depth interviews prior to her passing in October 2023. Additional appearances are made by Tony Robbins, Brooke Burke, Melissa Rivers, Leeza Gibbons, Billy Banks, Vince Offer and many more.

Miller is best known for his critically acclaimed live talk show, "Dennis Miller Live," which held a nine-year run on HBO from 1994-2002 and earned him five Emmy Awards and three Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards. He served as the color commentator for Monday Night football and was the "Weekend Update" anchor on Saturday Night Live for a total of six years. He also served as the host and executive producer of CNBC's "Dennis Miller," a topical interview talk show featuring reasoned discourse, opinion and humor. In December 2018, Miller released his ninth stand-up special, "Fake News, Real Jokes." A New York Times best-selling author of four books, Miller has appeared in such films as "Disclosure," "The Net," "Murder at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" and "What Happens in Vegas."

Below are the episodic descriptions:

Episode 1: The Innovators

It all started in 1984, when the FCC lifted a rule limiting the amount of commercials stations could run in an hour. Little did they know, they were opening the door to charismatic salespeople taking over late-night TV, hawking everything from exercise equipment, self-help tapes, mops to quick-get-rich schemes. Some of the biggest names from that era; like Tony Little, Anthony Sullivan and Tony Robbins share their stories from the early days of the infomercial.

Episode 2: Shining Stars

By the early 1990's, the infomercial business was in a crisis. Lured by easy money, a lot of scammers were flooding the airwaves. Greg Renker, an infomercial pioneer, describes how he saved the business by testifying before Congress and promising the business would clean up its act. A second sea change hit the infomercial business when established stars broke the long-standing taboo against doing TV ads and started cashing in on the craze. Early pioneers like Leeza Gibbons and Suzanne Somers describe how their gambles opened the door for huge names from George Foreman to Justin Bieber and Cindy Crawford joining the late-night sales wars.

Episode 3: Internet Killed the Infomercial Star

By the early 2000's, late-night airtime was getting prohibitively expensive, and the infomercial airwaves were dominated by established stars with huge budgets. But there were a few unique salespeople who managed to make themselves rich and famous during that time. Brooke Burke, Billy Blanks and Vince Offer, better known as the ShamWow Guy, share their incredible rags to riches stories. By the early 2010's, the golden age of infomercials was coming to an end; killed off by social media. Plus, a look at where some of the biggest stars of the golden age of infomercials are now.

FOX Nation is a direct-to-consumer on-demand streaming service designed to complement the FOX News Channel experience with a members-only destination for its most passionate and loyal super fans. Featuring nearly 10,000 hours of content, the subscription service includes lifestyle, and entertainment content, as well as historical documentaries and investigative series from a multitude of FOX News personalities at a cost of $5.99 a month/$64.99 a year. Morning Consult recently named FOX Nation as one of the top 10 fastest-growing brands of 2023 among Gen Z adults, with the platform placing in the top 15 overall. Launched in 2018, FOX Nation is available at foxnation.com and via app for iOS devices, Android devices, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, FuboTV, Vizio TVs, and Samsung TVs, as well as DIRECTV, DIRECTV STEAM, YouTube TV, Comcast Xfinity, Cox Contour and The Roku Channel.

###





  [january 2024]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· INFOMERCIALS THAT SOLD US, THE (FOX NATION)





[01/08/25 - 10:15 AM]
"The View" Expands with New Streaming Series "The Weekend View" on ABC News Live, Premiering Jan. 11
The 30-minute weekend expansion will be hosted by the talk show's Friday panel, with moderator Joy Behar and co-hosts Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro.

[01/08/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases Official Trailer for the Highly Anticipated Third and Final Season of "Harlem"
From creator and writer Tracy Oliver, "Harlem" season three will follow the core four women on the precipice of change like never before.

[01/08/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "W.A.G.s to Riches" - Official Trailer - Netflix
They're the wives and girlfriends of famous athletes and rap stars, but these stylishly smart W.A.G.s call the shots in this soapy reality series.

[01/08/25 - 08:39 AM]
Great American Media Announces Theatrical Film, "Average Joe," Starring Eric Close and Amy Acker, Streams Exclusively on Pure Flix Beginning January 23
Named one of 12 Best Christian films of 2024 by Crosswalk.com, this legal drama and inspiring true story follows a high school football coach who fought for his right to express his religious beliefs publicly, leading to a landmark Supreme Court ruling.

[01/08/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Debuts Official Trailer for "Reacher" Season Three
The eight-episode season will roll out weekly, with the first three episodes premiering on Thursday, February 20, and subsequent episodes dropping every Thursday through March 27, 2025, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

[01/08/25 - 07:48 AM]
Nominations Announced for the 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
The 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, produced by Silent House Productions in partnership with SAG-AFTRA, will stream live globally on Netflix Sunday, February 23 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall.

[01/08/25 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "Prison Cell 211" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a dedicated lawyer is trapped inside a border town prison during a riot, he must navigate a dangerous web of intrigue and violence to survive.

[01/08/25 - 06:15 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Debuts Trailer for Season Four of Hit Workplace Comedy "Mythic Quest"
The new 10-episode season will premiere globally on Wednesday, January 29 on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes, followed by one new episode weekly through Wednesday, March 26.

[01/08/25 - 06:00 AM]
Video: New Trailer - Hulu Original Series "The Best Heart Attack of My Life"
Based on the eponymous book by Argentine author HernĂ¡n Casciari and inspired by real events, "The Best Heart Attack of My Life" follows a frustrated writer who survives a heart attack thanks to the help of his hosts at the temporary rental house where he is staying.

[01/08/25 - 06:00 AM]
CNN Films Brings the Television Premiere of "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story" to CNN on Sunday, February 2 at 9pm ET/PT
CNN Films will broadcast the television premiere of the acclaimed feature documentary, a moving and cinematic account of a man who not only embodied a hero on screen but became a symbol of hope.

[01/08/25 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "Mo" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Desperate to return to his family, Mo juggles asylum troubles and side hustles as his relationship with Maria is threatened by an unruly rival.

[01/07/25 - 04:15 PM]
"Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Demos for the Week of Dec. 30 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
"Nightline" saw increases year to year in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54) and Adults 18-49.

[01/07/25 - 03:01 PM]
Video: "Good Cop/Bad Cop" - Season 1 Trailer - Leighton Meester, Luke Cook, Clancy Brown
The one-hour procedural dramedy centers around Lou (Leighton Meester) and Henry (Luke Cook), an odd couple sister and brother detective team in a small Pacific Northwest police force.

[01/07/25 - 01:32 PM]
"Sunday Night Football" on NBC and Peacock Delivers Best Viewership Since 2015 & Pacing to Be Primetime's #1 Show for Unprecedented 14th Consecutive Year
"Sunday Night Football" averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 21.6 million viewers for the 2024 season - the show's best viewership since 2015 and up 1% from last season (21.4 million), according to official national live plus same day data released by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

[01/07/25 - 12:10 PM]
Bravo's Emmy Award-Nominated "Below Deck Down Under" Cruises to the Seychelles as Season Three Premieres on Monday, Feb. 3 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Capt. Jason Chambers, Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph and Deckhand Harry Van Vliet will return for the new season.