Have you ever been part of a live studio audience?

Yes, for QI with Stephen Fry for the BBC.

It was actually very good.

QI is a vey good British comedy panel game quiz show.

Yes, also The David Letterman Show, probably late 1990. I’d watched his show growing up in the 80’s and was amazed how small the stage and audience seating area was that seemed so big on television all those years.

I also attended a Letterman taping, with a good friend around 89/90. Super Dave Osborne was featured on "Potato Night." Dave repeatedly said "Potato Night Blew" because it did. My friend and I both dozed off.

We had more fun with the strangers we met waiting in the Will Call line earlier in the day.

Bozo show when I was in 5th grade. It was underwhelming. Oprah show in 1991. It took a few weeks to get the tickets, because you had to keep calling and calling and trying to get through. The shows guests were, Ally Sheedy and someone else I can't remember. Sylvester Stallone came out during the commercial and did a promo with Oprah. He's pretty short. Everyone got to meet and shake Oprah's hand. It was underwhelming too.

I saw The View twice thanks to my sister who was a fan. I never watch it. You had to wait a long time on a line to get in. It was kind of grueling and the young women running things told us they were unpaid interns. One show had Barbara Walters who was led out like a porcelain doll. The taping had Ellen Page and Greta G (the director on). Ellen page is 4 foot 9 and GG is about 6 feet so they were a weird pair. Whoppi Goldberg looked stoned and both shows were boring.

I also went to a taping of Regis and Kelly. Much more relaxed atmosphere and during the breaks Regis walked around and talked to the audience members about his bad back. He was very nice. Kelly has the body of a 10 year old boy and seemed like a big phony.

^Going to a taping of Bozo’s Circus at WGN would have been a dream come true. I wanted to be chosen to play the Grand Prize Game more than anything.

I went to Bozo when I was in kindergarten. Remember it as being magical. They gave out a lot of treats during breaks. Cookie the Clown was a good guy! He interacted the most with us. Bozo was aloof. Fuck Bozo!

Yes. "Kelly and...." a couple times, including the at-the-time controversial one where she and guest host Clay Aiken didn't get along, culminating in his clapping his hand over her mouth! Hilarity did not ensue.

"Martha Stewart," where the Queen of Details ran out of gifts for the audience members.

"GMA," where the audience must stand behind the street-side windows the entire time.

"The View," where they move people around for a good-looking on-camera shot. Sherri Shepherd came over to talk to the audience during breaks; others went backstage.

For all, once you're in, you stay there. No leaving, no going to the bathroom. For a 9:00 a.m. show, you are told to line up with Invite and ID by 6:30 a.m.

I went to a live filming of The Daily Show, and was very sad to learn Newt Gingrich was guest. Aasif Mandvi did a sketch and was very funny. He did a green screen thing in which he was supposed to be “reporting live” from outside in the rain (iirc) and I was surprised how far away from the main set that side set was, maybe 75-100 feet.

I desperately had to pee. For hours.

I was on CNN when they had the live afternoon interview show, the name of which (of course) escapes me. I was in Atlanta because my father happened to be there on a trip so I went to meet him and we did a tour of the network. I stayed and was in the audience for the talk show. It was a live show, so during the commercials, they ran around to audience members and asked for questions, and then they called on those same folks again while the show was live so they could repeat the questions they had "rehearsed" during the break. They had a political guest and I was working on my graduate poli sci degree, and when they took questions from the audience, I was one of them. I was so proud I called my advisor and told him my question and the answer I got and I even bought the (VCR) video of the show they sold to the audience members. I still have it somewhere.

Damn, I was goofy at that age.

I went to a taping of the old Showtime sitcom "Brothers".

The show was briefly a gay favorite because it featured an openly gay character, which was a rarity and a big deal at the time.

They brought in a bunch of homeless people from the streets of Hollywood just to fill the seats, because, well, it was Showtime, so the show wasn't that widely known.

Stephen Colbert still refers from time to time to the freezing temperature in the Ed Sullivan Theatre, OP. I think they do it on purpose because it makes the audience respond better, but some of the female guests must really shiver.

Not really a live studio audience but I got to watch a filming of Meet the Press with Tim Russert.

Daily Show with John Stewart. They ran through the show in 30 minutes, pausing for commercial breaks, even though it was taped. They work the audience into a frenzy for the applause. People aren’t naturally THAT excited to be there.

I’ve been to SNL and Tonight Show tapings. SNL feels pretty much like you would expect it to, with the frantic energy. They start with a couple of cast members (usually led by Kenan) singing a song and warming up the audience with some jokes. The laughter and applause sign almost never stops, and you sort of feel like a trained monkey being told to feed the soundtrack.

Tonight Show is more cut up into segments. Every time I’ve been, they have filmed material that is to be used on another night. They also film stuff that doesn’t get used at all. One time, Jimmy even acknowledged to the audience that the segment they just filmed didn’t work, so don’t expect to ever see it at home.

All of the studios are smaller than expected. 8H is pretty tiny.

I saw the final episode of The State filmed. They were a sketch comedy troupe on MTV in the mid-90s.

I saw three tapings of Letterman. Ben Stiller and Jackie Chan on one, French Stewart on another, and a really high Demi Moore on the last.

I went to a taping of Ricki Lake - they shot one and a half episodes. The first was one where they sent kids off to Boot Camp, that was the half. And the second was pregnant teenage “hoochies” who are still partying.

Lastly I saw a dress rehearsal for SNL - Blake Lively and Rihana.

[quote]Whoppi Goldberg looked stoned

Oh, dear.

Anyone remember John & Leeza, with John Tesh and Leeza Gibbons? Went to a taping of that. The only guest I remember was Lee Meriwether. John was constantly looking at his reflection and adjusting his hair. Leeza was totally down to earth, but he was a real diva.

I was at a taping of a local talk show in the 80s. A group of us in HS cut class and went for the day to see whatever soap star it was....some blando guy from All My Children or One Life to Live, can't remember who.

The studio is so so so SO much smaller than you see on TV. Curved walls (at the bottom) and the use of certain colors, like light blue, makes the room(s) look much bigger than in person.

That morning show whatever that was with Regis and Kathy. A friend got tickets to bring her parents because they were big fans of the show and she got 4. She insisted I come. People acted like trained monkeys with those applause signs. The studio wasn't small. Regis stayed after the show and chatted with all the little old ladies who seemed to have a crush on him. Kathy made herself scarce immediately. Yogi Berra was a guest. I've never had the slightest interest in baseball but he was a famous name from my boyhood so it was kind of cool seeing him all these years later. I think I remember a naked picture of him in the locker room shower when that kind of thing was ok and nobody was thinking about sex.

Got to see the Rosie O'Donnell show in 2001. Kristin Chenoweth was the only guest I remember. There were Drake's Cakes and milk on each seat so that was fun. the only disappointment was that Rosie didn't really interact with or even acknowledge the studio audience. In 2013, we went to see Letterman. That was a blast. Strangely enough, Jeremy Renner was a guest.

Back in the Cretaceous was dragged to a taping at NBC in Burbank of Carson. Can only remember Sammy Davis Jr was a guest. Between commercials Johnny would just freeze, stop talking and stare blankly ahead like a robot that had been turned off. Sammy's face was green like a Klingon. I was told it was how blacks had to be made up to photograph correctly on the film of that day. Think we were there four hours and you couldn't get up to use the bathroom. Glamorous not.

I went to a game show in NY (maybe Price Is Right?). They taped a whole week’s episodes at a time. It was very staged with the Applause signs and all. It was interesting because the view from the audience showed more than what was on TV. I got the ticket because some guy was standing on the sidewalk outside handing out free tickets.

[quote] I was told it was how blacks had to be made up to photograph correctly on the film of that day.

Oh, dear.

I went to see a Phil Donahue show in the Miami amphitheater with my mom, who was a big fan. Patrick Leahy was a guest with some other politician I can’t remember. Donahue did a kind of amusing stand up review before the show He warned everyone to keep their fingers out of their noses since the camera could be on them at any time. Since we were seated pretty far from the stage, he and the guests looked pretty small. After the show, Donahue stayed to shake hands and sign books for as long as anyone was still there. He seemed like a really nice guy. My mom was thrilled.

R24 "Oh, dear." has specific usage rules around here. Since you don't understand them, don't use it.

R21, Why was it "strange..." that Jeremy Renner was the guest?

[quote] "Oh, dear." has specific usage rules around here. Since you don't understand them, don't use it.

I think I will ignore your instruction.

[quote] I think I will ignore your instruction.

get the fuck out and don't come back, cunt

[quote] get the fuck out and don't come back, cunt

Do you blow your uncle with that mouth?

But seriously, did your mother drop you on your head when you were a wean? Because it does seem as though you might have a brain injury. You might want to get it checked out.

Oh, and I will be staying here. I'll be staying here for a long time.

Letterman in 86. Studio back then was really small.

Defucto strikes again

[quote] Defucto strikes again

You know it!

I was at the live birthing of Paris Hilton’s baby last week. They had to reshoot the last contraction. Even I could tell she wasn’t supposed to be texting during that.

When the People's Court was fimed in Manhattan (a vacant bank building on 6th Ave a block away from TS) I used to stay in Times Sq for business trips (free shuttle to the Javitz). Out on the corner, there would be Harvey Levin giving out tickets to the show, engaging with passerby and practically begging them to fill the seats. Once the show was taping, he'd situate himself a few doors down from the McDonald's in TS, and gather a crowd around him (the gorgeous hunky guys would always be behind him in ever camera shot, so it looked like he was 'surrounded' by gorgeous men) and shove the microphone in their faces to get their reactions to the cases. They would be watching the case on a monitor he had hooked up outside. I was tempted to go to a taping, but again - you had to be there for hours as they were taping a week's worth of cases, and you couldn't leave your seat. No thanks !

A British friend of mine went to see Ricki Lake.

I can't remember anything about the show, except for him saying that the producers came around and warned the audience not to boo.

"No booing! No booing! We don't boo on Ricki Lake"

It sounded hilarious in his accent.

OMG, my best friend was a co-producer and guest coordinator on the 'Ricki Lake Show' for several seasons (1993-2000). The stories she shared with me about 'coordinating guests' would make your eyes roll back into your head . But that's another conversation for another day...

God yes

[quote]OMG, my best friend was a co-producer and guest coordinator on the 'Ricki Lake Show' for several seasons (1993-2000). The stories she shared with me about 'coordinating guests' would make your eyes roll back into your head . But that's another conversation for another day...

Well, let's make it today! I'd love to read THAT. Please start a thread.

Letterman in the early 1980s. Dabney Coleman and a lady who played music on water filled wi e glasses were the guest….boring

Dave was a stuck up shit even then. He wouldn’t look at the audience between breaks

R39 You type like a Rikki Lake fan.

Tonight Show, Carson era, 1990. Guests were Paul Reiser and Super Dave Osborne. Arsenio Hall a few years later because a boyfriend wanted to go. There was a Wahlberg on. They were okay but nothing special. I also have an RSVP for the Feb. 10 filming of the new Frasier at Paramount.

You'd better go, r42! And bring back details!

Mid-90s. Five episodes of Hollywood Squares. My friend was a stand-in and offered to get me on as a contestant. I declined as I'm a gay man from the South, so you can just imagine my voice. Not quite as bad as Leslie Jordan.

Here's one from decades ago ... it was the National Barn Dance or its successor. I was 2 at the time, maybe even a bit younger. My parents and us 4 kids, everybody dressed to the nines, including me in a little suit and tie. Of all things, we were sat on hay bales on the stage. Only the six of us were onstage as an audience. (there were several hundred out in the 'house') I can remember standing on my bale, holding on to my Mom with one arm to balance, while the right elbow of either Flatt or Scruggs was not much more than a foot from my face, both blasting away with some frantic song. I suppose I can remember that, even at such a young age, as it was a sight to behold. I really don't remember much of anything else about it.

A lifetime ago, I was into psychics and psychic phenomena. I went to a taping of Montel and his guest was the psychic Sylvia Browne. This was in the early days, before she was on practically every week. At the time, a friend involved with the show put me on the guest list. I brought one of her books with me for her to sign, which was subsequently collected by a production assistant and brought backstage before the taping. As expected, we had to arrive ridiculously early and stand around forever like cattle. I don't remember anything specific about the taping, but I do know that she took questions from the audience, which I did not participate.

About two years ago, I stumbled across the signed copy of the book that I had broughtwith me that day and had a good laugh knowing all the bullshit that we know about Sylvia, psychics in general, and what an absolute fraud she was.

I can't believe Ricki Lake was on for 7 years!

Yes. I watched Shelley Winters produce a bowel movement live on a plexiglass stage during a show audition, as I sat in the front row for some bizarre reason.

I also went to the test pilot taping for a then unknown psychic named John Edward. I remember my friends and I walking out onto the street afterwards thoroughly unimpressed. We were actually kinda pissed that we went. I do remember him perspiring quite a bit towards the end of the taping.

I was at the taping of That '70s Show's "First Time" episode. Prior to shooting the big Eric/Donna scene, one of the executive producers asked the studio audience (which skewed younger) to refrain from hooting, woofing, cheering, or "Awwww-ing" during the next scene. Laugh when appropriate, of course, but none of that other stuff, please. (basically: "Shut your pie-holes")

Also noteworthy about that episode: Bond-girls Maud Adams, Barbara Carrera & Kristina Wayborn guest-starred as Midge's old friends & bridesmaids. However, Tanya Roberts was absent that night, due to the flu! (that's what they said, anyway) It was interesting to see how they worked around her to the extent that they could, and then, the way it came together on the air.

If you watch closely, you'll notice that Midge never appears in-frame with the bridesmaids, except for one wide-shot, as she walks up the aisle -- wearing a veil. That's not Tanya Roberts, it's one of the show's makeup artists (or hairstylists) who stood-in for all the wedding scene wide-shots. They filmed the tight two-shots with Bob when Tanya returned to work later.

At the rehearsal dinner party, Midge was supposed to be the one who introduced Kitty to the bridesmaids (for the squabbly exchange), not Bob. She's nowhere to seen until she just pops up, mid-scene -- in a two-shot with Bob & no one behind them -- for the toast. Midge was also supposed to be in the scene in which Bob asked Red to be his Best Man (and Kitty was asked to bring chairs), but they rewrote it to remove her entirely, so they didn't have to shoot it later.

In Kindergarten, at Miss Pat's Playroom (or was it Romper Room? Both?) at KTVU Chanel 2 studios at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA in the 1960's. We had to sit quietly on the floor on blankets. Quite boring. I wouldn't recommend it.

I'm an insidious cunt who's desperate for attention.

GIVE ME ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I used to love the NPR comedy quiz show "Whad'Ya Know?" and was in the audience when they broadcast live from my town. It was fun to see how they staged the show and what the cast looked like. There were also plenty of in-jokes between the host and audience that the listeners couldn't catch.

That was very interesting, r50.

My bucket list includes going to a taping of a scripted show.

R47 - I beleive she was on longer than that. My friend was with the show from 1993-2000, and she couldn't take it anymore (though she liked RL personally, and they are still friends) but the show continued on for a few more years (I want to say it was on for 11 seasons).

I've been to several, most in New York. My first was Sally Jessy Raphael. (We tried to get tickets to Ricki Lake, but they never called me back.) Sally was tiny. The guests were trashy (shockingly!) men who had a wife and a mistress and wouldn't give up either one. I also went to David Letterman twice (Johnny Depp, Rachel Ray, Ricky Gervais and Christine Todd Whitman were the guests on the two Letterman shows. (NOBODY knew who Ricky Gervais was then...I had to tell people around me he was on this depressing British show where he played a bad boss.) I also went to Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn a couple times.

In LA, I went to Jimmy Kimmel--Snoop Dogg was one guest, and the other may have been James Franco--someone like that. I also went to "The Price is Right" with Drew Carey but I had no desire to be a contestant, and you could opt out and just watch the show.

They all make you wait too long to get into the show. I think it's all a game to give interns something to do--except The Price is Right, as they interview everyone to be a contestant while you wait.

R54: They're going the way of the Dodo, so you better get cracking! There are only a handful of sitcoms that are still filmed with a live audience -- The Upshaws, The Conners, Lopez v. Lopez, That '90s Show (if renewed), The Neighborhood.

I'd like to be in the studio audience of a terrible comedy, like a show with Tim Allen, and laugh uproariously and disruptively at every line to the point where they have to keep stopping.

When we were kids, my mom and dad took us to a taping of The Price Is Right (Bob Barker days) and WKRP in Cincinatti.

Studio of TPIR is small and dinky. They were only choosing young, attractive women as contestants. During a break, there was a Q&A session w/the audience, and some guy asked why they only were choosing women.

WKRP was the episode where Mr. Carlson (Gordon Jump) has a drinking (alcohol) problem. He (Gordon Jump) seemed like a cool guy between takes. That's all I can remember: Gordon Jump drinking "wine" from a water glass. (Looked like grape juice.) Between takes, to be funny, he gargled the grape juice.

The Dick Cavett Show, Charlton Heston was the main guest, promoting “Soylent Green.” There was a number or two from “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” a hit musical from The Public Theater. Cavett’s opening monologue was funny, though I remember nothing about it.

The entrance to the studio was through a non-descript door on West 58th Street, the same studio (I think) where my parents had been part of the audience for an episode of “The Honeymooners” in the 1950s.

[quote]my parents had been part of the audience for an episode of “The Honeymooners” in the 1950s.

Wow!!

$1600 per month for the plan itself is ridiculous or there are other costs tacked on to that.

^^Huh?

I've been to Daily Show. Just remember it was hard to hear. I forgot who the guest was.

I also sat in the audience for Wheel of Fortune, while my friend from college was a contestant. It was during the writers strike. I saw new-American Gladiators on golf carts on the lot. Even over a decade ago, you can see Vanna White was an older lady underneath all the makeup.

Wow I loved that production of Two Gentlemen. I wonder what they did. Maybe 'Night Letter?' as it wasn't on the Tonys I'd love to see anything from it.

When Hepburn did her interviews with Cavett she told him she had been in a play in that theater which had become a TV studio.

R56, I once read that the Sally Jessie Raphael show pumped up its audience members by having a pizza party and playing loud techno music over the sound system. Was your anything like that when you attended?

UK X factor about 10 times. The Vouce..Ellen. You really are a prop...an Extra...you're told beforehand that you've to stand or cheer or sit and they are like nazis if they see you with your phone. Ellen show was nice and audience was treated well i thought. But generally the reason there's no ticket charge is cos you are an extra...and required to play your part and create atmosphere. The only place you stand up and sit down and stand up and sit down again more than X factor is at Catholic mass. Lol But it's always an exciting thing to attend and everyone should try it.

I’m not sure if this counts, but my partner and I went to a live Q&A with Amy Klobuchar back in 2020. It was at a small venue in Raleigh. We got to see Martha McCallum and Brett Baier from Fox as they were hosting. Both looked better in person, as did Amy. We were told that nobody could get up once the event started and that the audience would be panned over throughout, so no nose picking. Cool experience.

When I lived in Athens, OH in the 1960s, I was the 'guest child' on an episode of Merlin the Magician. It was a show from WOUB in Athens that eventually became syndicated in the pre-PBS days. There was a child invited to participate with Merlin in his slight-of-hand tricks and educational content.

I was 5yo when I appeared, and kept my certificate as a Member of the Round Table for years.

The December 5th 1998 episode (I just looked it up) of SNL with Vince Vaughn hosting to promote the Psycho remake. I’d watched SNL my whole life and found it fascinating to see unfold during a live taping. They had different stage areas arranged around the huge studio with different audiences facing each to save time moving from set to set. It was a bit chaotic and I never knew this all those years watching it. Sometimes there would be a sketch going on off in a corner of the giant studio to your left, that you could hear and only kind of see over people’s heads but still watch on the monitor. We were sitting in the upper back section facing the main stage. The warmed up the audience in the beginning but after that left us alone. I remember swearing I could hear “plants” in the audience trying to get people to laugh by loudly laughing at certain moments. The commercial breaks were eerily quiet. It was very surreal. I mostly remember Sherri Oteri in a hilarious “Psycho prequel” sketch where she played Norman Bate’s mother just minutes before he killed her (because she was so annoying). On the monitors it was black and white to look old.

I'll come with you r58. It would have to be the shittiest sitcom on CBS since I don't think Tim Allen has a show anymore.

I saw a taping of Jeopardy. They did three shows in one sitting, then got a new audience and did three more shows in the afternoon. They shuffled the audience between shows so the overhead shot looked different. We were strictly admonished against even having our phones out in the studio, and were told to be sure not to shout out answers. They did have a photo op area during the breaks.

While on a trip to NYC in February of '89 a friend and I got to see a SNL dress rehearsal. Ted Danson was the guest host and the show was still quite funny but this was way back when dinosaurs walked the earth. Dennis Miller hadn't even gone right wing yet and did a really funny stand-up routine for the 'warm-up'.

I have a friend who went to a bunch of tapings of the Maury Povich Show. He lived in NYC and he would take a bus into Stamford, CT to attend the tapings. He worked as a nurse at a hospital and usually he and a couple of work friends would go tapings when they had weekdays off. He said it was pretty much trashy fun especially if it was the paternity test shows. In 2016, I had an NYC trip planned to visit him and we were planning to go to a Maury taping, but a family emergency came up and I canceled trip.

[quote]I've been to Daily Show. Just remember it was hard to hear. I forgot who the guest was.

In 1990 when it seemed everyone had a daytime talk show, I was in the audience for a Marsha Warfield taping. We didn't have to wait long to get in, but once seated, I could have fallen asleep. Vicki Lawrence was the guest. During taping Warfield and Lawrence spoke in their normal voices and no one could hear a thing.

Earlier than that, I saw a taping of some game show that wasn't Jeopardy with Alex Trebek. He was a diva. Terse to the crew and seemed in a really sour mood. Weird show in that the game just stopped in the middle when taping ended and they had to resume play the next day.

[quote]Weird show in that the game just stopped in the middle when taping ended and they had to resume play the next day.

What’s weird about that? Most ongoing shows do and did the same thing. (Match Game, Family Feud, etc.)

When I see the name Maury Povich I always picture Michael McDonald.

I'm trying to narrow down which game show you might have seen with Alex Trebek, R76. Do you remember if there were a bunch of celebrities onstage? Did the contestants roll dice?

I went to a taping of the Bob Newhart show when he played psychiatrist and his wife was Susanne Pleshette I remember being kind of bored.

I was in HOWDY DOODY'S Peanut Gallery in 1957 (yes, I'm older than dirt), the live audience of kids during the Saturday morning filmings. Top that one, bitches!

I remember being severely disappointed that Princess Summerfall Winterspring did not appear on the show that day. My parents didn't have the heart to tell me that the actress who portrayed her, Judy Tyler, died in an auto crash earlier that week, I didn't discover the truth until decades later. God, I wish I could find my episode on yoututbe or somewhere.