This show may be the most criminally underrated program people aren't watching.
The show is harmless fun and maybe the style of humor isn't for everyone, but it's certainly clean and family friendly fare. The show generally stays away from politics (which let's face it: that's a rarity in late night talk shows anymore) and topical humor. As a result, a show from season three on You Tube and a recent episode airing on TV feels equally as timeless.
This is a show that doesn't get a-list celebrities. The show relies on local talent to the Springfield, MO area and b and c list celebs to round out the guest lists. While that may be a negative for some shows (such as the early days of Jimmy Kimmel Live, when his guests were so less than ideal for what he wanted he started the "Sorry we ran out of time for Matt Damon" joke) I think the host, Jeff Houghton, embraces this.
The Mystery Hour reminds me more of a mixture of "The New Tom Green Show" (Tom Green's stint on MTV in a late-night talk show format) and when Johnny Carson had average citizens on the Tonight Show. Tom Green had a way of making otherwise uninteresting C lists guests seem interesting. Johnny Carson had a way to make the civilian guests feel as important as the a-list celeb. Both Green and Carson also had a way of helping their guests shine and making them feel important.
Jeff Houghton has that same ability. While he doesn't have a lot to work with here by having big name guests on the show, Jeff has a way of making the lesser known guests shine and seem just as important as if they were big names. In fact, I am more compelled to watch his interviews as he comes off as genuine. Compared to some late night hosts on network shows that seem to be phoning it in, the host on The Mystery Hour invests his heart and soul into the show and it comes through brilliantly.
So if you're looking for something a long the lines of The Tonight Show or the Late Show, think again. But if you want to see something that I'd describe as a mixture of A Prairie Home Companion with the New Tom Green Show, then this is a buried treasure in a late night time slot that deserves to be seen by more people!
The show is harmless fun and maybe the style of humor isn't for everyone, but it's certainly clean and family friendly fare. The show generally stays away from politics (which let's face it: that's a rarity in late night talk shows anymore) and topical humor. As a result, a show from season three on You Tube and a recent episode airing on TV feels equally as timeless.
This is a show that doesn't get a-list celebrities. The show relies on local talent to the Springfield, MO area and b and c list celebs to round out the guest lists. While that may be a negative for some shows (such as the early days of Jimmy Kimmel Live, when his guests were so less than ideal for what he wanted he started the "Sorry we ran out of time for Matt Damon" joke) I think the host, Jeff Houghton, embraces this.
The Mystery Hour reminds me more of a mixture of "The New Tom Green Show" (Tom Green's stint on MTV in a late-night talk show format) and when Johnny Carson had average citizens on the Tonight Show. Tom Green had a way of making otherwise uninteresting C lists guests seem interesting. Johnny Carson had a way to make the civilian guests feel as important as the a-list celeb. Both Green and Carson also had a way of helping their guests shine and making them feel important.
Jeff Houghton has that same ability. While he doesn't have a lot to work with here by having big name guests on the show, Jeff has a way of making the lesser known guests shine and seem just as important as if they were big names. In fact, I am more compelled to watch his interviews as he comes off as genuine. Compared to some late night hosts on network shows that seem to be phoning it in, the host on The Mystery Hour invests his heart and soul into the show and it comes through brilliantly.
So if you're looking for something a long the lines of The Tonight Show or the Late Show, think again. But if you want to see something that I'd describe as a mixture of A Prairie Home Companion with the New Tom Green Show, then this is a buried treasure in a late night time slot that deserves to be seen by more people!