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Busy Tonight
Busy Tonight is an American late-night talk show hosted by Busy
Busy Tonight
Philipps that aired from October 28, 2018 to May 16, 2019 on E!.

Contents
Premise
Production
Episodes Genre Late-night talk show
2018
Directed by Liz Plonka
2019
Presented Busy Philipps
Reception
by
References Theme James Vincent McMorrow
External links music
composer
Ending "Goodnight, Love
Premise theme Busy Tonight"
Busy Tonight features "everyone's favorite unfiltered Hollywood best by Busy Philipps
friend giving her hilarious and outspoken opinions on the latest pop Composer(s) Jeff Richmond
culture stories and trending topics with candid celebrity guest Country of United States
interviews and original comedic segments."[1] origin
Original English
Production language(s)
On May 1, 2018, it was announced that E! had given a series order to No. of 1
a new late-night talk show to be hosted by actress Busy Philipps. seasons
Executive producers were expected to include Julie Darmody, Eric No. of 105 (list of episodes)
Gurian and Philipps. Production companies involved with the series episodes
were slated to consist of Little Stranger.[2][3][4]
Production
On August 16, 2018, it was announced that Caissie St. Onge had been Executive Tina Fey
hired to serve as the series' showrunner and as an additional producer(s) Busy Philipps
executive producer. Additionally, it was announced that the series
Caissie St. Onge
would premiere on October 28, 2018 at 10 PM and that episodes of
Eric Gurian
the series were expected to air each week from Sunday to Wednesday
at 10 PM EST.[1][5] On October 25, 2018, it was reported that Tina Julie Darmody
Fey and David Miner had joined the series as executive producers David Miner
and that Wilshire Studios would serve as an additional production Editor(s) Tony Conte III
company. Furthermore, it was revealed that first week guests would
Toni Anne Carabello
include Mindy Kaling, Vanessa Hudgens, Kristen Bell, and Megan
Mullally along with appearances by Jimmy Kimmel, Fred Armisen, Running 21 minutes
and Andy Cohen. Other first season guests were expected to include time
Julia Roberts, Kim Kardashian West, Tracee Ellis Ross, Camila Production Little Stranger, inc.
Mendes, John Stamos, Olivia Munn, Beth Behrs, Lauren Graham, company(s) Busy Bee Productions
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Emily Ratajkowski, Taran Killam, David Alan
Grier, Tess Holliday, and Tom Lenk.[6] Wilshire Studios

Release
On January 3, 2019, it was reported that the show would be moving
Original E!
into a new time slot at 11 PM EST beginning on January 7, 2019.
network
Additionally, it was further reported that the show would air a live
television special titled "Busy Tonight Live: Golden Globes After Original October 28, 2018 –

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Party" that was to broadcast immediately following the conclusion of release May 16, 2019
the 76th Golden Globe Awards. Guests for the special were expected External links
to include Whitney Cummings, Karamo Brown, Rhea Butcher, and
Official website (https://www.eonline.com/
Ira Madison III.[7]
shows/busy_tonight)
On May 5, 2019, Philipps announced the series had been cancelled,
with all remaining episodes airing until May 16.[8] Philipps also stated the series would be shopped to other
networks.[9]

Episodes

2018

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No. Featured guest(s) Original release date

1 "Mindy Kaling" October 28, 2018
Additional appearances by Samantha Bee, Andy Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Andy Richter

2 "Vanessa Hudgens" October 29, 2018

3 "Kristen Bell" October 30, 2018
4 "Megan Mullally" October 31, 2018
5 "Julia Roberts" November 4, 2018
6 "John Stamos" November 5, 2018
7 "Olivia Munn" November 6, 2018
8 "Emily Ratajkowski" November 7, 2018
9 "Tina Fey & Tom Lenk" November 11, 2018
Additional appearances by Grant Show, Elizabeth Gillies and Marc Silverstein

10 "Camila Mendes" November 12, 2018

11 "Taran Killam" November 13, 2018
12 "Tess Holliday" November 14, 2018
13 "Lauren Graham" November 18, 2018
14 "Ike Barinholtz" November 19, 2018
15 "D'Arcy Carden" November 20, 2018
16 "Beth Behrs" November 21, 2018
17 "Tracee Ellis Ross" November 25, 2018
18 "David Alan Grier" November 26, 2018
19 "Oliver Hudson" November 27, 2018
20 "Padma Lakshmi" November 28, 2018
21 "Brian Tyree Henry" December 2, 2018
22 "Jenna Dewan" December 3, 2018
23 "Max Greenfield" December 4, 2018
24 "Chrissy Metz" December 5, 2018
25 "Kim Kardashian West" December 9, 2018
26 "Wilmer Valderrama" December 10, 2018
27 "Maura Tierney & Katie Lee" December 11, 2018
28 "Jesse Tyler Ferguson" December 12, 2018
29 "Julie Bowen" December 17, 2018
30 "Leslie Grossman" December 18, 2018
31 "Nicole Byer" December 19, 2018
32 "Keke Palmer" December 20, 2018
Additional appearance by Oprah Winfrey

2019

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No. Featured guest(s)  [10] Original release date  [10]

33 "Golden Globes After Party" January 6, 2019
Guests include: Whitney Cummings, Tom Lenk, Rhea Butcher, Ira Madison III & Sam Greisman

34 "William Jackson Harper" January 7, 2019

35 "Howie Mandel" January 8, 2019
36 "Connie Britton" January 9, 2019
37 "Patti LaBelle" January 10, 2019
38 "Susan Kelechi Watson" January 14, 2019
39 "Linda Cardellini" January 15, 2019
40 "Andy Samberg & Donte Colley" January 16, 2019
Additional appearance by Akiva Schaffer

41 "Sarah Chalke" January 17, 2019

42 "Terry Crews" January 21, 2019
43 "Jonathan Van Ness" January 22, 2019
44 "Cobie Smulders" January 23, 2019
45 "Josh Radnor" January 24, 2019
46 "Aldis Hodge featuring Tom Lenk" January 28, 2019
47 "Chris Sullivan" January 29, 2019
48 "Josh Groban" January 30, 2019
49 "Cecily Strong" January 31, 2019
50 "Nina Dobrev" February 4, 2019
51 "Ron Funches" February 5, 2019
52 "Jemima Kirke & Katelyn Ohashi" February 6, 2019
53 "Michelle Williams" February 7, 2019
54 "Daniel Radcliffe" February 11, 2019
55 "Eliza Coupe" February 12, 2019
56 "Adam Devine" February 13, 2019
57 "Pete Holmes" February 14, 2019
58 "Kandi Burruss" February 18, 2019
59 "The Bella Twins" February 19, 2019
60 "Mark Duplass" February 20, 2019
Additional appearance by Wolfgang Puck

"Sonequa Martin-Green featuring James Vincent

61 February 21, 2019
McMorrow"
62 "Phoebe Robinson & Christian Siriano" February 25, 2019
Additional appearance by Tom Lenk

63 "Jenna Fischer" February 26, 2019

Additional appearance by Steve Carell

64 "Isla Fisher" February 27, 2019

65 "Shane West" February 28, 2019
66 "America Ferrera" March 4, 2019
Additional appearance by Gigi Gorgeous

67 "Margaret Cho & Elizabeth Chambers" March 5, 2019

68 "Lauren Cohan & Toni Harris" March 6, 2019

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69 "Justina Machado, Rita Moreno & Gloria Calderon Kellett" March 7, 2019
70 "Eric McCormack" March 11, 2019
71 "Maya Erskine & Anna Konkle" March 12, 2019
72 "Christina Hendricks" March 13, 2019
Additional appearance by Retta

73 "Rita Wilson & Johnathan Rice" March 14, 2019

74 "Cole Sprouse & Haley Lu Richardson" March 18, 2019
75 "Taye Diggs" March 19, 2019
76 "Lisa Rinna" March 20, 2019
77 "Courteney Cox" March 21, 2019
Additional appearances by Ian Gomez, Josh Hopkins, and Christa Miller

78 "Joseph Gordon-Levitt" April 1, 2019

79 "Logic" April 2, 2019
"Jaime King, Justin Chu Cary, Jessica Cauffiel & Brittany
80 April 3, 2019
Daniel"
81 "Natalie Morales" April 4, 2019
Additional appearance by Karley Sciortino

82 "Mandy Moore" April 8, 2019

Additional appearance by Chris Sullivan

83 "Tony Hale" April 9, 2019

84 "Michelle Monaghan & Whitney Cummings" April 10, 2019
85 "Nikolaj Coster-Waldau" April 11, 2019
86 "Cedric the Entertainer & Tom Lenk" April 15, 2019
87 "Robin Tunney" April 16, 2019
88 "DeWanda Wise & Brittany Snow" April 17, 2019
Additional appearances by Chris Harrison and Colton Underwood

89 "Chad Michael Murray" April 18, 2019

90 "Lizzo" April 22, 2019
91 "Ben Feldman & Duff Goldman" April 23, 2019
Additional appearance by Jon Barinholtz

92 "Colin Hanks" April 24, 2019

93 "Lake Bell, Steve Lemme & Kevin Heffernan" April 25, 2019
94 "Martin Short" April 29, 2019
95 "Geena Davis" April 30, 2019
96 "Emma Roberts" May 1, 2019
97 "Michael Ealy" May 2, 2019
98 "Retta" May 6, 2019
Additional appearance by Andrew Bird

99 "Topher Grace, Angela Kinsey & Joshua Snyder" May 7, 2019

Additional appearance by Tom Lenk

100 "Josh Hopkins & Kevin Morby" May 8, 2019

101 "Tom Ellis & Rachael Harris" May 9, 2019
Additional appearances by Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley

"Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer &

102 May 13, 2019
Paula Pell"

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103 "Chelsea Handler & Middle Kids" May 14, 2019

104 "Leslie Mann" May 15, 2019
Additional appearances by David Letterman and Brendan Fraser

105 "Surprise Guests!" May 16, 2019

Guests include: Linda Cardellini. Michelle Williams, Jennifer Carpenter, Whitney Cummings and Christa Miller

Reception
In a negative review, Variety's Daniel D'Addario discussed the show's lack of identity in its first week saying,
"talk demands a crystal-clear point-of-view, and Busy Tonight has yet to find that, making its endless
references to the language of self-help and its production excesses like the nightly lullaby feel like the antic
search for a personality, not the expression of one. Some things about television shows we’ve seen before are
worth keeping."[11] In another unfavorable critique, The Ringer's Rob Harvilla was equally critical saying,
"Busy Tonight is tough sledding unless you're a superfan of Philipps, social-media geniuses, or the adorable
baby-deer stumbles of new talk shows."[12]

References
1. Iannucci, Rebecca (August 16, 2018). "Busy Philipps' Late-Night Talk Show Gets October Premiere at E!"
(https://tvline.com/2018/08/16/busy-philipps-talk-show-premiere-date-e/). TVLine. Retrieved August 16,
2018.
2. Holloway, Daniel (May 1, 2018). "Busy Philipps Late-Night Show Among Six New E! Series" (https://variet
y.com/2018/tv/news/busy-philipps-late-night-show-1202793827/). Variety. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
3. Petski, Denise (May 1, 2018). "E!: Ashlee Simpson-Ross & Evan Ross, Busy Philipps Series, 'E! True
Hollywood Story' Return Among Series Greenlights" (https://deadline.com/2018/05/e-ashlee-simpson-ross
-evan-ross-busy-philipps-series-e-true-hollywood-story-return-among-series-greenlights-1202380387/).
Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
4. Kinane, Ruth (May 1, 2018). "Busy Philipps to host late-night E! talk show" (https://ew.com/tv/2018/05/01/
busy-philipps-host-late-night-e-talk-show/). Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
5. Malec, Brett (August 16, 2018). "Busy Philipps' Talk Show Busy Tonight to Premiere Oct. 28 on E!" (http
s://www.eonline.com/news/960500/busy-philipps-talk-show-busy-tonight-to-premiere-oct-28-on-e). E!
News. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
6. Petski, Denise (October 25, 2018). "Tina Fey Joins 'Busy Tonight' E! Talk Show As Executive Producer" (h
ttps://deadline.com/2018/10/tina-fey-busy-philipps-busy-tonight-e-talk-show-executive-producer-12024897
28/). Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
7. Petski, Denise (January 3, 2019). "E!'s 'Busy Tonight' Moves To 11 PM Timeslot" (https://deadline.com/20
19/01/es-busy-tonight-moves-11-pm-timeslot-busy-philipps-tina-fey-1202528767/). Deadline Hollywood.
Retrieved January 4, 2019.
8. Roxborough, Scott (May 6, 2019). "E! Cancels Busy Philipps' Talk Show 'Busy Tonight' " (https://www.holly
woodreporter.com/news/e-cancels-busy-philipps-talk-show-busy-tonight-1207594). The Hollywood
Reporter. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
9. White, Peter (May 6, 2019). "E! Cancels Talk Show 'Busy Tonight'; Busy Philipps Reveals End Date &
Plans To Shop Series Elsewhere In Late-Night Instagram Post" (https://deadline.com/2019/05/e-cancels-b
usy-tonight-1202607831/). Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
10. "Shows A-Z - busy tonight on e | TheFutonCritic.com" (http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/busy-tonigh
t/listings/). The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
11. D'Addario, Daniel (November 1, 2018). "TV Review: Busy Philipps' 'Busy Tonight' " (https://variety.com/201
8/tv/reviews/busy-tonight-review-busy-philipps-e-1203017060/). Variety. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
12. Harvilla, Rob (October 31, 2018). "Hasan Minhaj's and Busy Philipps's Radically Different Late-Night
Shows" (https://www.theringer.com/tv/2018/10/31/18045634/busy-philipps-tonight-hasan-minhaj-patriot-ac
t-late-night-shows-review). The Ringer. Retrieved November 5, 2018.

External links
Official website (https://www.eonline.com/shows/busy_tonight)
Busy Tonight (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8358938/) on IMDb
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