Image Credit: Erica Parise
Chris Hardwick’s weekly Walking Dead post-mortem, Talking Dead, has become a staple of the Sunday night viewing experience. And starting tonight, he hopes BBC America viewers make time for him once again as he launches his weekly Nerdist chat show.
“It’s basically like a network-level chat show when you look at the guest list,” Hardwick says of the lineup for his ten-episode talk show, which includes Doctor Who‘s Matt Smith, Seth Rogen, Dominic Monaghan, Elijah Wood, and on the afternoon EW visited the set, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Community‘s Gillian Jacobs.
But Hardwick, also known for his podcast of the same name and as part of G4′s Attack of the Show, says while the guest list rivals that of any late-night talker, he doesn’t see his new late-night platform as a reason to change his casual, hangout-esque approach to hosting. The aforementioned taping was full of romp, in fact. Gordon-Levitt joked about advising his grandmother to pass on viewing his new sex-content-heavy film Don Jon’s Addiction and Jacobs played a game called Gillian, Gillian (as in Anderson, of X-Files) or Gilligan.
“Everyone’s just hanging out, breaking the traditional interrogation talk show format,” Hardwick says, adding that he’s long enjoyed The Graham Norton Show and Rove LA (with Australian host Rove McManus), who have similar approach. On Hardwick’s show, sketches, remote pieces (one coming up features Doctor Who alum Arthur Darvill), and standup comedy are also featured. “It’s really just a fun screw-around hour,” he says.
Offering a taste of something different is what’s help Harwick build the Nerdist name, and if his new gig is any indication, there’s still growth to be had. “I kind of just want a self-sustaining system where I get to keep making stuff; I guess that’s sort of my goal,” Hardwick says. “I think our philosophy is that we’ll make things we like and hopefully there are people out there who are of like minds and will enjoy it. That’s sort of the best we can do.”
Nerdist airs tonight on BBC America as part of the network’s Supernatural Saturday lineup. Want a taste? Check out these two exclusive clips below, one of which features Doctor Who’s Matt Smith (…sorta)! READ FULL STORY »
