Showtime at the Apollo
(formerly
It's Showtime at the Apollo
and
Apollo Live
) is an American
variety show
that first aired in
syndication
from September 12, 1987 to May 24, 2008.
[1]
[2]
In 2018, the series returned on
Fox
with
Steve Harvey
hosting.
[3]
Filmed at the
Apollo Theater
in
Harlem
, the show features live performances from both professional and up-and-coming artists, and also features the Amateur Night competition. In many cities such as New York (where it aired on
WNBC
), it often aired after
Saturday Night Live
during the late Saturday night/early Sunday morning hours, and was often paired with the similarly-syndicated
Soul Train
.
[
not verified in body
]
Showtime at the Apollo
|
---|
|
Genre
| Variety
|
---|
Presented by
| (See hosts)
|
---|
Opening theme
| "It's Showtime at the Apollo"
|
---|
Composer
| Barry Fasman
|
---|
Country of origin
| United States
|
---|
Original language
| English
|
---|
No.
of seasons
| 22
|
---|
No.
of episodes
| 1,094
|
---|
|
Executive producers
| Percy Sutton
(1987?2002)
Bob Banner
(1987?1996)
Blake Bradford (2007?2008)
Jim Roush (2016?2018)
Chris Wagner (2016?2018)
|
---|
Production location
| New York City
|
---|
Running time
| 60 minutes
|
---|
Production companies
| Apollo Theatre Productions (1987?2008; 2016?18)
Bob Banner Associates
(1987?1996)
Inner City Theater Group
(1987?2002)
The Heritage Networks
(2002?2004)
De Passe Entertainment
(2002?2008; 2016?18)
Telepictures Productions
(2004?2008)
The Roush Wagner Company
(2016?2018)
|
---|
|
Network
| Syndication
|
---|
Release
| September 12, 1987
?(
1987-09-12
)
??
May 24, 2008
?(
2008-05-24
)
|
---|
Network
| Fox
|
---|
Release
| March 1
?(
2018-03-01
)
??
May 24, 2018
?(
2018-05-24
)
|
---|
A live non-televised version of the show takes place every Wednesday (which is the original Apollo Amateur Night competition that has been running for over seventy years), with the taped version of the show for television being recorded in advance on other nights for later airing.
[
not verified in body
]
Various musicians and entertainers acted as weekly guest hosts during the first two seasons. Stand up comedian
Rick Aviles
was the first host of Amateur Night, serving in that role until midway through the second season.
From 1989 to 1991,
Sinbad
served as the permanent host. The series reverted to having guest hosts during the fifth and sixth seasons, with comics
Mark Curry
and
Steve Harvey
alternating as hosts of Amateur Night. In 1993,
Steve Harvey
began a seven-year stint as the permanent host. At the start of the 1998?99 season,
[4]
Harvey and Kiki Sheppard hosted a series of
"Best of..."
episodes until late October because production was delayed due to a labor dispute. After Harvey left in 2000, he was replaced by
Rudy Rush
. Rush was joined by new comedic dancer C.P. Lacey, who replaced
Howard "Sandman" Sims
, who had retired. Harvey returned to host the Fox revival of
Showtime at the Apollo
, beginning on March 1, 2018.
[5]
Change of production
edit
The original show was created by veteran television producer Bob Banner in conjunction with Percy Sutton and was produced and directed by BBA senior producer Don Weiner. After a dispute with the Apollo Theater Foundation in 2002, the original producers minus Bob Banner, who was no longer with the show after 1996
[6]
[7]
left to start a rival show called
Showtime in Harlem
[8]
[9]
[10]
later known simply as
Showtime
.
[11]
Showtime in Harlem
was produced at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music
. The show was later moved to California and renamed
Live in Hollywood
, lasting one season in 2003 with Shepard as host.
It's Showtime at the Apollo
was subsequently produced by
de Passe Entertainment
. It was for a time, hosted once again by Sinbad, who briefly returned to the show in 2006 while Mo'nique was on maternity leave.
Whoopi Goldberg
became the new host for the 2006?2007 season. At times, comedian and actor
Anthony Anderson
hosted during the 2006?2007 season.
[
citation needed
]
Fox specials/revival
edit
Showtime at the Apollo
was revived by
Fox Broadcasting Company
in 2016-2017 with a pair of specials hosted by Steve Harvey. The first, a two-hour showcase, aired on December 5, 2016, while the second aired on February 1, 2017. A Christmas special called
Showtime at the Apollo: Christmas
aired on December 14, 2017 with co-host
Adrienne Bailon
.
[15]
It was later announced that Fox would start airing it as a weekly series in the 2017-18 television season, beginning March 1, 2018.
[1]
[16]
Singer
Cam Anthony
won the 2018 season with his performance of the
Bill Withers
song, "
Ain't No Sunshine
".
[17]
[18]
Awards and nominations
edit
Showtime at the Apollo
has won a
NAACP Image Award
for "Outstanding Variety Series/Special" in 1991. The show was nominated in 1996, 1998, and 1999 for the same category. In 2000, the show was nominated by the
NAACP Image Awards
for "Outstanding Youth or Children's Series/Special" for the "Apollo Kids Finals" special episode. However, that same year, former host Steve Harvey has won an Image Award for "Outstanding Performance in a Variety Series/Special".
[19]
- ^
a
b
Holloway, Daniel (April 17, 2017).
"
'Showtime at the Apollo' Series Revival Ordered by Fox"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
September 8,
2023
.
- ^
Ramos, Dino-Ray (February 8, 2021).
"UTA Signs Harlem's Iconic Apollo Theater"
.
Deadline
. Retrieved
September 8,
2023
.
- ^
Pedersen, Erik (April 17, 2017).
"Deadline Hollywood"
.
‘Showtime At The Apollo’: Fox Orders Weekly Series For Next Season; Steve Harvey Hosts
. Retrieved
February 28,
2018
.
- ^
Season 12
Archived
January 18, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Macke, Johnni.
"Steve Harvey Announces The Return Of A Classic Series On FOX"
.
People's Choice
. Retrieved
February 8,
2018
.
- ^
Percy Sutton .... executive producer (unknown episodes, 1987?2002)
- ^
Bob Banner Associates
- ^
"Showtime in Harlem" (2002)
- ^
When "Showtime at the Apollo" was revamped in 2002, Rudy Rush and Kiki Shepard were ousted and given their own show, "Showtime in Harlem."
- ^
"Official site of Showtime in Harlem"
. Archived from the original on September 26, 2003
. Retrieved
September 25,
2007
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link
)
- ^
SHOWTIME Starring: Rudy Rush and Kiki Shepard
- ^
"BET Her"
.
- ^
"Apollo Live | Shows"
. BET
. Retrieved
January 18,
2013
.
- ^
http://www.centrictv.com/shows/apollo-live/cast-members
Apollo Live Cast
- ^
Holloway, Daniel (October 12, 2016).
"Steve Harvey to Host 'Showtime at the Apollo' Revival on Fox"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
September 8,
2023
.
- ^
"All-New Weekly Series "Showtime at the Apollo," Hosted by Steve Harvey, to Premiere Following Spring Return of "Gotham" Thursday, March 1, on FOX"
.
The Futon Critic
. January 25, 2018
. Retrieved
January 25,
2017
.
- ^
McIlwaine, Kharisma (May 30, 2018).
"Philadelphia singer Cam Anthony wins competition on 'Showtime at The Apollo'
"
. Philadelphia Sun.
- ^
Prickett, Macon (April 2, 2018).
"VIDEO: Teen R&B/Pop Singer Cam Anthony Wins Over SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO Audience"
.
BroadwayWorld
.
- ^
"Showtime at the Apollo" (1987)?? Awards
??
IMDb
(accessed October 16, 2011)