Strike Force Five | |
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Presentation | |
Hosted by | |
Genre | |
Language | English |
Length | 51–72 minutes |
Production | |
No. of episodes | 12 |
Publication | |
Original release | August 30 – October 10, 2023 |
Provider | Megaphone [1] |
Related | |
Website | strikeforcefive |
Strike Force Five is a limited series podcast hosted by American comedians and talk show hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver. Running 12 episodes from August 30 to October 10, 2023, it was created to support the five hosts' employees who were out of work due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Upon its debut, the podcast hit the top charts on Spotify and Apple in the United States and received positive to mixed reviews.
On May 2, 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), representing 11,500 screenwriters, went on strike over an ongoing labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Production for many shows employing WGA members was immediately halted, including the hosts' respective talk shows, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , Jimmy Kimmel Live! , Late Night with Seth Meyers , and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver . [2] Stephen Colbert suggested that the hosts keep in touch more during the strike, citing poor communication among the late-night hosts during the last writers' strike in 2008 as one of the reasons. The hosts began having weekly Zoom meetings to discuss the strike, which eventually led to the creation of the podcast named after their personal text chain. [3] [4] Proceeds from the podcast would go to the hosts' employees, who were out of work because of the strike. [1] [5] [6]
On September 13, it was announced that Fallon, Kimmel, and Colbert would be performing together in a one-night-only live show called "Strike Force Three" at the Dolby Live theater in Las Vegas on September 23. Much like Strike Force Five, the show was set to raise money for their staff members. [7] [8] [9] However, the live show was cancelled because Kimmel tested positive for COVID-19. [10] [11]
Several celebrities have made guest appearances on the podcast, including Jon Stewart, [12] [13] David Letterman, [14] [15] and Ryan Reynolds. [16] Conan O'Brien was set to be one of the guests, but the strike ended before he could be scheduled. [17]
As the writers' strike ended on September 27, allowing the production of late-night talk shows to resume, the hosts announced that the podcast would end after an unspecified number of episodes. [18] [19] The podcast ended on October 10, 2023, after 12 episodes. [15] [20]
The podcast was set to run for at least 12 episodes, with each episode lasting approximately 60 minutes. During each episode, the five hosts would discuss one or more subjects, such as fishing or interesting facts about their parents, on a Zoom call. [6] The leading host, who is different for every episode, would usually decide on the subjects. [21] [22] Additionally, a thunder sound effect played every time the podcast title was mentioned. The podcast's improvised nature aimed to demonstrate the importance of their staff members, such as researchers and writers, to their respective shows. [3]
No. | Title | Leading host | Length | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Five Late Night Hosts Talk at the Same Time for the First Time" | Jimmy Kimmel | 1:06:31 | August 30, 2023 |
2 | "A Second Episode About First Episodes" | Seth Meyers | 1:03:31 | September 3, 2023 |
3 | "Stories We Missed, Vasectomies and Moby Dick" | Stephen Colbert | 59:29 | September 7, 2023 |
4 | "Awards Show Screwups, Late Night Multiverse & Batman Wants to Murder Kimmel" | John Oliver | 51:07 | September 12, 2023 |
5 | "Strike Force Wives!" | Jimmy Fallon | 1:01:39 | September 15, 2023 |
6 | "The Guys Answer Questions from Listeners" | Jimmy Kimmel | 51:42 | September 19, 2023 |
7 | "Jon Stewart Makes it Six" | Stephen Colbert | 57:44 | September 22, 2023 |
8 | "The Talk Show Hosts Name Sneaky Great Talk Show Guests" | Seth Meyers | 57:11 | September 26, 2023 |
9 | "David Letterman Makes it Six" | Jimmy Kimmel | 1:12:49 | September 29, 2023 |
10 | "The Strike is Over But the Podcast Isn't Yet" | John Oliver | 42:09 | October 3, 2023 |
11 | "The Return of Strike Force Wives!" | Jimmy Fallon | 1:06:40 | October 6, 2023 |
12 | "The Strike Force Five Says Goodbye (with a Special Guest)" | Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert | 55:51 | October 10, 2023 |
Strike Force Five received positive to mixed reviews, with many critics praising the cause but also commenting on the uneven quality of the podcast. Alexi Duggins of The Guardian thought there was a "lo-fi charm" to the podcast and found the conversations interesting. [23] Sarah Larson of The New Yorker considered the podcast to have "a value of its own", writing that it was refreshing to hear the hosts having friendly discussions while also supporting the strike. [24] Podcast critic Nicholas Quah on The Colin McEnroe Show podcast felt that the comedic potential of the podcast was unexplored. [25] Although Miranda Sawyer of The Guardian appreciated the podcast’s cause, she felt that the unscripted nature of the podcast sometimes leads to unfocused discussions. [26] Fiona Sturges of the Financial Times felt the quality of the podcast was inconsistent, [27] with Sean Malin of Vulture noting that it depended on who was hosting the episodes. [28] Fiona McCann of the Irish Times thought that the podcast was lackluster compared to the hosts' respective talk shows. [29] James Poniewozik of The New York Times described the podcast as "an amiable, shapeless session of five peers busting chops, trading shop talk and occasionally reading sponsor ads like modern day Joe Franklins." [30] The podcast was featured on Time 's list of the top 10 podcasts of 2023. [31]
The podcast also saw responses from late-night staff members, subject-matter experts, and other late-night hosts. Bill Carter, author of The Late Shift and The War for Late Night , praised the idea and said that the hosts "get along pretty well, which is kind of atypical for the history of late night." [5] Sarah Kobos, photo research coordinator for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , expressed her gratitude for the podcast going towards helping fellow staff members. [3] Greg Gutfeld, who hosts Gutfeld! on Fox News, called the podcast "pathetic" and additionally criticized the comedy styles of the hosts' shows. [32] Gutfeld's show was unaffected by the writers' strike because it did not employ WGA writers. [33]
Many critics consider the fifth episode, "Strike Force Wives!", the best episode of the podcast. [15] [20] [28] Seth Meyers commented that it was "the launch pad" for Strike Force Five, as the hosts discovered that audiences enjoyed a looser approach to the podcast. [34]
During Strike Force Five's run, Rolling Stone published a report that detailed the alleged toxic work environment on The Tonight Show caused by Fallon's "erratic behavior". [35] Nina Metz of the Chicago Tribune commented on what it meant for the future of the podcast, saying, "These are public figures who have worked to cultivate reputations as decent human beings who are sincerely interested in the people who work for them. [...] How does continuing with Fallon – as if nothing is amiss – not tarnish that?" [36] Linda Holmes on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast also expressed her uncertainty about the future of the podcast, saying that it would be odd to not address the allegations even if they had prerecorded episodes. [37] It was later revealed that at least two other episodes were recorded before the report, [38] and the controversy remained unaddressed after the end of the podcast. [15] [20]
Strike Force Five debuted at number one on the podcast and news podcast charts of both Apple and Spotify in the United States. [21] [39]
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