Sam Pang’s legion of fans had high hopes for the comedian’s foray into the night-time talk show genre. But teething problems during the debut episode of Sam Pang Tonight led to some very underwhelming reviews.
“Many were taken aback that the usually supremely confident and capable Sam appeared to have the jitters,” an insider close to the Network 10 show tells New Idea.
“Sam has nailed two Logies hosting roles and is a total pro on Have You Been Paying Attention? so it was a surprise to see him stumbling over his words and nervously deferring to his cue cards at times.”
The choice to book veteran actor Jack Thompson as the show’s first guest also raised eyebrows.
“There are whispers behind the scenes that Jack, despite being the Australian acting legend that he is, was totally wrong for the first episode,” our source says.
“It begs the question, who is the show aimed at? Not many viewers under the age of 30 would have been excited by Jack as a guest.
“If the show is going for a younger audience or aims to replicate the success of Rove McManus’ talk show, then Jack’s booking was an odd choice.”
As a result of the glitches, New Idea hears that Sam, 51, and Ten convened after the first episode aired to identify the problems and workshop solutions. With a scheduled eight-episode run, it’s “vital” the issues are addressed quickly, our source says, if Sam Pang Tonight hopes to succeed.
“There were certainly serious conversations had,” our source says.
“His team is working to put measures in place that ensure Sam feels more comfortable – whether that means more rehearsal time or even less scripting because Sam is at his very best when he’s off the collar. But things will need to change because viewers will tune out if Sam doesn’t come across as his usual confident and hilarious self.”
Despite online criticism shared across social media saying Sam Pang Tonight was “awkward”, “stiff” and “needing an energy boost”, the program still managed to command healthy ratings, entertaining almost 800,000 viewers for its first outing.
“The ratings are a huge relief for sure,” our source adds.
“Sam is a sporting man and as he might say … ‘look at the scoreboard!’”
But time will tell if those numbers can be sustained. With much goodwill towards Sam – and to be fair, some very positive reviews about the show too – it’s entirely possible the program can still be a success.
“Ten will back Sam to the hilt,” our source says.
“Together with Sam, they’ll throw everything at making the show work. Failure is not an option.”
