VH1’s Best Week Ever revamp

Paul F. Tompkins had alerted all of his Los Angeles area fans that he’d be leaving the West Coast for a year due to the show business. We learned he’d be hosting a new version of VH1’s Best Week Ever. But what would that mean, exactly? The weekly recap mockery of pop culture didn’t have a host before, but rather a seemingly endlessly rotating cast of comedians offering their best quips of the moment. So now we know.

Pft
This week, PFT began hosting a 3.5-minute nightly edition at 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday of Best Day Ever. And in a press release, VH1 offers these details of Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins, which debuts at 11 p.m. Oct. 24. The cast: Doug Benson, Mike Britt, comic duo Frangela (Angela V Shelton and Frances Callier) Christian Finnegan, Greg Fitzsimmons, Nick Kroll, Chuck Nice, Melissa Rauch and Jessica St. Clair. And some of the cast will tour colleges together this fall. From the press release: "For almost five years, Best Week Ever has been a destination for
anyone who loves pop culture and comedy. By adding a guide like Paul, a
comic with a truly unique voice, we’ll be better able to expand our
coverage and make the show even stronger," said Jim Ackerman, Senior
Vice President of Development, VH1.

In today’s NYT on BWE with PFT, our new host notes this will now make the show seem more like E! show The Soup. We also learn the show will keep "The Sizzler" segment (really?), but overall, it will adapt to the personality of its new host. I’m just happy that Tompkins will get more and more airtime. If you recall, he got a weekly segment years ago on the debut season of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, but they never really allowed Tompkins to show his strengths as a comedian and as a quick-witted commentator. Here’s hoping VH1 doesn’t get in the way of a good thing.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

View all posts by Sean L. McCarthy →