Did America's Funniest Home Videos not only predict YouTube and social media, but did it invent reality television as well? How did Bob Saget feel about the show, and how did producers make sure that video of Dad getting hit in the nuts was real and not stay- We've got laughs from coast to coast because today, Rad History is taking a look at America's Funniest Home Videos.
Welcome to Rad History, an 80s, 90s history podcast looking back at the last two decades of the 20th century, the last time things were relatively normal and chill. I'm Brian McCullough. We've mentioned on other episodes about how one of the key technology revolutions of the 1980s was the introduction of the home video camera, the camcorder.
We mentioned this with regards to the VCR and Blockbuster, but also the other half of the VHS revolution was the fact that suddenly millions of households had heavy, expensive, but relatively robust and reliable video cameras. Suddenly, you not only had family photo albums, you had family videos of that fourth birthday party, of that 1986 trip to Disney World, and yes, of that backyard barbecue when someone fell backwards off the deck and into the pool.
The idea of doing television shows with real people on them was not exactly new, of course. The entire genre of the game show is arguably about that. And you even had early versions of cinema verite style, almost found footage style shows like Candid Camera and TV's bloopers and practical jokes. But the story of America's Funniest Home Video begins not in America, but in Japan.
In 1989, Tokyo Broadcasting Systems aired a special called Fun TV with Kado-chan and Ken-chan, which featured segments of home videos sent in by viewers. Vin DeBona, an American television producer known for shows like Entertainment Tonight, happened to catch the show while he was in Japan. DeBona immediately recognized the universal appeal of watching everyday people in amusing situations.
probably saw dollar signs in terms of a show that could be produced on the cheap. Why? Well, this is common today with social media, obviously, but think about it. This could be a show where the audience supplied the content. After securing the rights from TBS, DeBona developed an American version of the concept. He pitched it to ABC executives.
who were initially skeptical about building an entire show around home videos. However, DeBona convinced them to air it as a one-hour special on November 26, 1989. The special, hosted by Bob Saget, was a massive rating success. The casting of Bob Saget as host was a masterstroke that helped define the show's early years. At the time, Saget was, of course, already known to ABC audiences.
as Danny Tanner on Full House, which made him a natural choice for a family-friendly show. However, the selection process wasn't as straightforward as it might seem. According to DeBona in later interviews, several other hosts were considered, including... Kelsey Grammer, and Mark McKeown. Saget was chosen not only for his family-friendly image, but also for his ability to provide quick-witted commentary and his talent for creating distinct voices for the video subjects.
His experience as a stand-up comedian allowed him to improvise and keep the energy high during tapings. Getting Saget on board was obvious because of the synergies for ABC as a channel, but Full House was filming its third season at that point, and Saget had national touring stand-up dates to consider, so the initial contract was only for the special. Saget would later push for greater creative control, especially around the joke writing elements of the show.
In later interviews, Saget would claim, he tried to slip in subtle adult humor now and then. I would do things that were a little subversive, but they had to be clean enough that kids wouldn't understand them. It was like speaking in code to the parents watching, he said. but he also understood the impact the show would eventually have. In one of his last interviews about...
AFHV, he stated, we were making families laugh together at a time when there wasn't much programming that entire families could watch together. That's not nothing. The show's format was relatively simple but effective. Each episode featured roughly 25 to 30 videos selected from thousands of submissions. Videos were grouped into loose categories like kids, pets, sports accidents, and wedding disasters.
Three videos would be selected as finalists, with the studio audience voting via keypad for their favorite. The winner would receive $10,000, second place $3,000, and third place $2,000. At the end of the season, the $10,000 winners would compete for a grand prize of $100,000.
The process of getting videos to air was more complex than viewers might have imagined. In the pre-digital era, viewers would mail in VHS tapes to the show's production offices. A team of screeners would watch countless hours of footage looking for gems among the mundane. The show received approximately 2,000 videos per week during its peak years in the early 1990s.
During the show's early years, the submission process was entirely analog. Again, viewers would mail physical VHS tapes to AFHV's production office in Hollywood, and each tape... would receive a unique tracking number to be logged into a database.
Basic information was recorded, the sender's name, contact information, date received, and brief content descriptions. Submission releases would have to be mailed out and signed, and then included with the tape to make sure that they could legally air anything. Again, due to the volume of submissions, the show maintained a massive tape library that required significant physical storage space and careful organizational systems.
The screening process itself involved multiple stages. Initial screeners would watch and log videos, rating them on a scale of one to five. Videos rated three or higher would move to a second round of screening. The best videos would be reviewed by segment producers. And finally, DeBona himself would make the final selections for each episode.
The show developed strict guidelines about what could be aired. Videos couldn't show serious injuries, excessive violence, or anything that might encourage dangerous behavior. The production team also had to verify that the videos were genuine, a process that included interrogating submitters to try to get a sense of if they were pranking or not.
The final selections were made based on the criteria of flow within episodes, the balance of content types, seasonal appropriateness, and also prize considerations. That $10,000 was one of the largest parts of the budget, of course. Another major issue was how to maintain video quality when working with amateur footage shot on various formats of home video equipment.
The show's technical team developed methods to enhance and stabilize footage while maintaining its authentic feel. As technology evolved, so did the show's submission process. The shift from VHS to digital formats in the late 1990s and early 2000s And so the show adapted by accepting submissions via email and eventually through a dedicated website and mobile app.
The studio portions of the show were typically filmed at ABC Television Center in Hollywood. Multiple episodes would be taped in a single day, with Saget changing clothes between episodes to create the illusion. They were filmed on different days. The studio audience played a crucial role, of course.
only in voting, but in providing authentic reaction shots and laughter that helped set the show's tone. One of the things you might not remember if you haven't seen the show in a while were the sound effects. They did heavy post-production on these things, and in retrospect, they would make some of the submissions funny just with the editing. While many videos came with natural sounds, others required enhancement or complete audio reconstruction.
The show also employed Foley artists to create custom sound effects that would make the videos more impactful and humorous. The show's iconic theme song went through multiple iterations before settling on the version most viewers remember. The original Japanese show's theme was considered, but rights issues prevented its use, so the song we all remember.
The Funny Things You Do, was performed by and co-written by Jill Colusi, who also sang the themes for ABC's Something's Happening and America's Watching. Promotional campaigns between 1987 and 1990, though different themes were introduced in later seasons. Some episodes required last-minute video substitutions when featured families couldn't attend the studio filming or when legal issues arose.
The relatively low production costs compared to scripted programming made America's Funniest Home Videos one of ABC's most profitable shows during its peak years, and this is why I say that maybe its legacy is greater than we imagine. MTV's The Real World is credited often with being the first modern reality show, but one of the structural reasons reality took over television in the late 90s and early 2000s was the fact that often you didn't have to do
anything more than turn cameras on and let things happen. There was no lengthy development or production process. Reality TV took over because it became the most profitable way to produce television. and America's Funniest Home Videos led the way here. Despite its family-friendly image, AFHV also occasionally faced criticism.
Concerns about encouraging dangerous behavior, questions about the authenticity of some videos, debates about the ethics of profiting from others' misfortunes, criticism of the show's sometimes repetitive nature. Sound familiar? Sound like the criticism leveled all the time at social media? The obvious analog today is to YouTube, but also think about TikTok. The videos that are on TikTok every day are closer to the aesthetic of someone shooting a camcorder video in the 1980s than even
traditional reality TV. TikTok is, I would argue, the lineal descendant of the videos on America's Funniest Home Videos. It's not all funny videos of people getting hit in the nuts on TikTok. It's evolved beyond that in fascinating ways, but it's not. not videos of people getting hit in the nuts, some types of content are evergreen.
The show influenced how Americans use their video cameras. Many people began recording with the specific hope of capturing something worthy of submission to America's Funniest Home Videos. This changed how families documented their lives with an eye toward potential entertainment value. rather than just preservation of memories.
Again, does that sound like modern times? The show's initial broadcast was watched by 32.8 million viewers, roughly double the network's average viewership in the Sunday 8 p.m. time slot. So, of course, ABC took the show. to series. America's Funniest Home Videos became a cornerstone of ABC's Sunday Night lineup, which was branded as America's Funniest Sunday in the early 1990s.
The show typically aired at 7 p.m. Eastern, eventually serving as a lead-in to family-oriented programming like Life Goes On and the ABC Sunday Night Movie. During its peak in the early 1990s, AFHV regularly drew over 15 million viewers per episode and was very often in the top 10 in terms of the most watched.
TV of any given week. The show's success influenced ABC's broader programming strategy, leading to a more family-oriented slate of content in its prime time slots. ABC became the ABC we remember, the ABC of Family Matters and Boy Meets World. TGIF with America's Funniest Home Videos as the flagship. By 1997, after eight seasons, Bob Saget decided to leave the show. In later interviews, he explained that he felt creatively restless and wanted to pursue other opportunities.
After Saget stepped down as host, John Vogelsang and Daisy Fuentes took over as co-hosts for its 9th and 10th seasons. After two years of being shown as occasional specials hosted by various actors and comedians such as D.L. Hughley, Richard Kine, Stuart Scott, and Steve Carell, ABC brought the series back on Friday nights in 2001 with Tom Bergeron.
taking over hosting duties. Bergeron is the longest-running host in the show's history to date, staying on America's Funniest Home Videos for 15 seasons until he stepped down in 2015. Alfonso Ribeiro has hosted the program since then. On May 13, 2024, ABC renewed America's Funniest Home Videos for a 35th season, so it is still going strong, or at least still going.
though most people watch the show today via YouTube and clips on social media, so in a way, we've come full circle here, people. Thanks for joining me for another episode of Rad History. please rate and review in whatever app you are watching or listening to me on right now. And check us out next week for more great 80s, 90s history goodness. Until then, yo homes, smell you later.