Sam Pang Tonight Premiere Slammed as ‘Unwatchable’ and ‘Awkward’ by Viewers

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Sam Pang’s debut on the late-night talk show scene has elicited a range of responses from viewers.

On Monday, the first episode of Sam Pang Tonight debuted on Channel Ten, however, not every viewer was thrilled with it.

Funnyman Dave Thornton was revealed as the special guest announcer, and the show featured many of the tropes we’ve come to expect from the late-night format such as quirky banter, celebrity guests and scripted segments.

After the first episode aired, viewers expressed their opinions about the show on X, with many criticizing the inclusion of ‘canned laughter’.

‘Oh s***… I said I’d give it five minutes… I lasted three,’ one viewer commented.

‘Canned laughter makes it unwatchable.’

Another viewer, while praising Sam, said that the allure of the tonight show format may have run its course.

‘In the age of long form podcasts, 10 minute segments feel clumsy and awkward,’ they wrote, before adding: ‘Sam is funny but the ‘tonight show’ paradigm is over.’

And the criticism didn’t stop there.  

‘#sampangtonight was terrible as expected,’ spat someone else.

‘Sam is not a host or really a comedian. Let the show go @channel10AU.’ 

‘Who thought it was a good idea to give Sam Pang his own show?’ another commented. 

However, not everyone was so quick to judge, with one Pang fan saying they felt for the host.

‘Every single one of us who has followed Sam Pang his whole career will agree that this is the most nervous or uneasy we’ve ever seen him,’ they wrote.

‘Just relax and be yourself Sammy, you are definitely good enough,’ they continued. 

Another felt the same, urging viewers to give the show more time to find its feet.

‘Not a great start, a bit clunky and flat at times, but he’s a genuinely funny guy and I will give him a few more weeks’ grace. Good luck, Sam,’ they said.

Others were quick to heap praise on the show with the likes of: ‘Five minutes in and I’m already loving #SamPangTonight.’

One person commented that it’s great to finally have a ‘Tonight Show’ back on Australian TV after a long absence.

An insider told Daily Mail Australia back in February that the vision for the show is for Sam to put his own spin on a Graham Norton-esque style panel show.

‘Australia will finally have a proper ‘tonight show’,’ the source said.

We’ve been lacking something unique in our free-to-air programming, but Sam’s show promises a fresh and distinct take that deviates from The Cheap Seats.

‘It’s more Graham Norton for Australia than weekly news commentary.’

Channel Ten will be banking on Sam calling upon his cross-industry contact book to rustle up celebrity guests for his show, both international and Australian.

A Ten insider shares with Daily Mail that there hasn’t been an engaging, late-night talk show on Australian television capable of hosting international guests when they visit Australia.

The network is confident ‘Sam will easily facilitate that’.

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2025-03-18 02:32