Eye On Short

By Stephen Thompson | March 29, 2000 | 9:00pm

TV Features TV

What you're missing if you're missing The Martin Short Show, America's saddest little-watched talk show.

March 21, 2000
Short opens with a monologue touching on the foibles of Madonna, Michael Douglas, and Bill Clinton. When the jokes don't go well, Short smiles broadly, never letting failure dim his can-do spirit. A fake interview with a dull "author" leads to a fantasy sequence in which Short fights him in a boxing match. To sell the gag, Short mugs wildly. Paula Poundstone joins Short, sharing a tale of professional failure. The two are then joined by Whose Line Is It Anyway? regular Colin Mochrie, and Dharma And Greg star Thomas Gibson is interviewed by bungling, effeminate, overweight entertainment reporter Jiminy Glick (in actuality a heavily made-up Short). In the closing segment, Short musters up an implausible amount of enthusiasm for an appearance by Blind Date host Roger Lodge.

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March 22, 2000
After a briskly delivered monologue and an equally brief comedy bit, Short welcomes Mel Brooks, who immediately scores the biggest laugh of the day by spitting out a piece of candy. The grotesque Jiminy Glick character returns to talk to Laura San Giacomo prior to appearances by Jerry O'Connell and comical TV cook Martin Yan.

March 23, 2000
Smiling broadly, Short performs his opening monologue in less than 90 seconds. Jiminy Glick appears twice, first in a fake diet-pill ad, then interviewing Will & Grace's Sean Hayes. An otherwise pleasant conversation with a chatty Jennifer Tilly contains a brief mention of the show's cancellation, a moment instantly glossed over with a healthy dose of Short's showbiz-vet unflappability. Later, he welcomes Stacy Keach, congratulating him on the success of the new sitcom Titus. Maria Conchita Alonso makes an appearance.

March 24, 2000
The opening monologue is cut short by a bit in which a motivational speaker takes over the show, but not before Short works in a reference to winning a Daytime Emmy. Bandleader Peter Michael Escovedo plays Zorro in a skit, then Short's former SCTV-mate Eugene Levy stops by. During Levy's segment, Short tells a story, complete with video footage, in which he is injured on the job. The clip is remarkable: While filming a skit, Short bangs his head horrifically into part of the set. Knocked to the ground, Short pauses only briefly before rising to his feet energetically, undaunted by setbacks, his spirit intact because the show, as always, must go on. Jiminy Glick then sits down with Geena Davis shortly before an appearance by Bruce Vilanch.

March 25, 2000
The Martin Short Show is pre-empted in some markets, replaced with a rerun of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.