real talk
Fanatical fandom
‘What Just Happened??! With Fred Savage’ pokes fun at aftershows
By Kyla Brewer
TV Media
Fanatical fandom: TV fans
are an insatiable bunch. Even
after the credits roll, they hunger
for more information about their
favorite shows. Luckily, “after-
shows” have popped up to sat-
isfy that hunger, and a new com-
edy is poking fun at the trend.
Fred Savage (“The Wonder
Years”) and his co-host Taylor
Tomlison (“Last Comic Stand-
ing”) discuss the events of
a fictional post-apocalyptic
sci-fi TV show in “What Just Hap-
pened??! With Fred Savage,”
premiering Sunday, June 30,
on Fox. To be clear, the new Fox
series a spoof of aftershows such
as AMC’s “Talking Dead,” a com-
panion series to its hit “The Walk-
ing Dead.” In such programs,
special guests discuss the latest
plot twists and give sneak peeks
at what lies ahead.
Savage and Tomlison welcome
celebrities to “What Just Hap-
pened??!” to talk about the
non-existent drama “The Flare,”
based on the non-existent book
by fictional author TJ Whitford,
“The Moon Is the Sun at Night,”
which Savage claims has been a
favorite of his for many years. The
story focuses on the impact of a
solar event on a small blue-collar
town in Illinois.
To keep up the ruse that “The
Flare” is a hit TV show, producers
have assembled a cast within
a cast, who may appear in clips
of the fake show, on set visits
and potentially in “What Just
Happened??!” The cast of “The
Flare” includes Duane Henry
(“Captain Marvel,”
2019), Tyler Ritter
(“Agents
20 | Screentime
of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Amy Acker (“Per-
son of Interest”), Sola Bamis
(“Mad Men”) and Sprague
Grayden (“Paranormal Activity
2,” 2010). Jon Cassar (“24: Re-
demption”) serves as the director
of the fictional show.
Like real aftershows, “What
Just Happened??!” features
interviews with actual celebrities,
visits to the “set” of the fictional
show, discussions with “fans”
and more. In a coup any real talk
show would celebrate, Fox’s
fake aftershow has lined up Rob
Lowe (“The West Wing”) as its
first celebrity guest, marking a re-
union for Savage and Lowe, who
co-starred in the short-lived Fox
comedy “The Grinder.” Promos
of “What Just Happened??!”
also feature comedian Ken Jeong
(“Community”) as a future guest.
American rock duo Best Coast
has been recruited to serve as
the in-house band for “What
Just Happened??!” while Carrie
Havel (“Bring the Funny”) takes
the helm as the director of the
nine-episode comedy. “What
Just Happened??!” was created
by Savage and writers Dave
Jeser and Matt Silverstein, who
are known as the co-creators
of the animated series “Drawn
Together.”
Enjoy a lighthearted look at
fanatical fandom as Fox parodies
aftershows in “What Just Hap-
pened??! With Fred Savage,”
premiering Sunday, June 30, on
Fox.
Fred Savage
as seen in
“What Just
Happened??!
With Fred
Savage”
June 26, 2019 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
A star-spangled salute:
As the summer officially kicks
off and Americans prepare to
celebrate the country’s 243rd
birthday, PBS brings the nation
together in song.
Hundreds of thousands of
people gather around the U.S.
Capitol in Washington, D.C.,
to celebrate Independence
Day as the National Symphony
Orchestra performs with spe-
cial guest stars in “A Capitol
Fourth,” airing Thursday, July 4,
on PBS, NPR and the American
Forces Network. The annual
live broadcast allows millions
of Americans across the coun-
try and abroad to experience
the excitement in the nation’s
capital.
A long-standing tradition,
the free concert has taken
place on the west lawn of the
Capitol since 1979, and was
first broadcast on PBS in 1981.
Since then, “A Capitol Fourth”
has become one of the most
popular and highest rated pro-
grams on the public television
network.
In addition to the National
Symphony Orchestra, the show
typically features elements of
the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment
(The Old Guard), the United
States Army Presidential Salute
Guns Battery, the United States
Army Band and the Choral Arts
Society of Washington.
The celebration traditionally
kicks off with the American na-
tional anthem, followed by live
entertainment from a number
of high-profile performers.
During the finale, the National
Symphony Orchestra typically
plays Tchaikovsky’s “1812
Overture,” accompanied by
the Choral Arts Society and
cannon fire from the United
States Army Presidential Salute
Guns Battery.
Each year, the National
Parks Service also arranges a
dazzling fireworks display to
cap off the evening.
Late laughs
Conan
The president of the
Philippines claims that he
cured himself of
being gay. Seems
unlikely, but it was
later confirmed by
his wife, Steve.
Yesterday, CNN hosted
town halls with Democratic
presidential candidates Eric
Swalwell, Tim Ryan and
Seth Moulton. All three
candidates were asked the
same question: “Who the
hell are you?”
Today, the prime minister of
Ireland met President Trump
at an airport lounge. Only
in Ireland would the prime
minister be hanging out at
the airport lounge.
President Trump visited
England and he met with
Queen Elizabeth. Unlike
President Obama,
President Trump was not
invited to stay at
Buckingham Palace. Yeah!
When asked why, the
Queen said, “We’re
worried about our
property value.”
Reporters are pointing out
that President Trump made
a faux pas by touching the
Queen’s back. You’re not
supposed to do that. After
being touched by Trump,
the Queen immediately
summoned the Duke of
Purell.
President Trump’s golf
course in Ireland cost him
$41 million and has never
turned a profit. In other
words, it’s his most
successful property.
The Tonight Show
With Jimmy Fallon
A school administrator in
Louisiana was just
arrested after she
showed up to school
drunk during Alcohol
Awareness Week. To be
fair, she did make everyone
very aware of alcohol.
I heard about a new study
that found not working out
is even worse for your
health than smoking. When
they heard, Americans were
like, “Great! Smoking it is.”
The Late Show With
Stephen Colbert
Before his visit to England,
Trump actually backed Boris
Johnson to be the next
prime minister, but the
feeling might not be
mutual, because Boris
Johnson turned down a
Trump meeting. To which
Queen Elizabeth responded,
“No one told me that was
an option!”
The Late Late Show
With James Corden
A man in Detroit recently
attempted to kill a
cockroach in his apartment
and it didn’t go so well. He
tried to throw a shoe at the
cockroach, but apparently
the man kept a loaded gun
in that shoe, so once it hit
the floor, the gun went off
and shot him in the foot.
The man was taken to the
hospital and will be
released in a few days, or
as soon as the doctors stop
laughing, whichever comes
first.
Jimmy Kimmel Live
The reason [President
Trump] went to
London — it’s
interesting —
he heard they
have a “tea
time” every day.
And he found out that
didn’t mean golf, he was
very upset.
I want to say
congratulations and
condolences to James
Holzhauer … he’s the guy
from “Jeopardy,” he had an
incredible run. He won 32
times. He raked in more
than $2.4 million — second
most prize money ever. This
guy was on “Jeopardy” so
long it’s going to take him
a year to stop answering
things in the form of a
question.
Late Night With Seth
Meyers
Arizona’s state legislature
has passed a bill to make
lemonade the official state
drink. While Massachusetts’
is still “vodka in a Poland
Spring bottle.”
Weekend Update
With Colin Jost and
Michael Che
A mother in Indiana was
arrested after students at
an elementary school were
exposed to marijuana-laced
gummies that she had
brought to the school.
Teachers became suspicious
when at recess the kids
tried to sync up “Dark Side
of the Moon” with “Paw
Patrol.”