"Joe Buck Live" Episode Lacks Fireworks, But Has Good Sports Talk

Writer Feels Schilling Provided "Joe Buck Live" With Entertaining Sports Conversation

The second episode of HBO's "Joe Buck Live" Tuesday night "lacked the fireworks of the opener but provided some entertaining sports conversation," especially when Pro Football HOFer Joe Namath and former MLBer Curt Schilling appeared, according to Richard Deitsch of SI.com. The jury is "still out on whether Buck can carry a primetime sports-talk show on a regular basis," but HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg was "clearly happy afterward." Greenburg: "This is where we want to be. This is the kind of show we want. I thought Joe felt really comfortable. ... We made some smart television. I think we tried to force too many laughs last time around and we let them come naturally this time around." Deitsch noted in a "smart and unexpected move," comedian Artie Lange made a cameo appearance on the show following his memorable appearance in the June program. Tuesday's episode opened with a taped segment featured Lange "bumping into the sportscaster on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan and chasing the host down the street." Buck: "For me to walk out ... there and act like that didn't happen, that's not me. I'm not going to run from that." Greenburg said Buck "felt very strongly that we had to address Artie Lange somewhere because he had been living with it for three months every day." Greenburg: "I agree with him in retrospect. We were very reticent to give Artie any airtime, but looking back on it, Joe was right. You could not come on the air ... and play like Artie Lange never happened. So this was the way to acknowledge it and send it off." The third episode of "Joe Buck Live" is scheduled for December 7 (SI.com, 9/23).

Some Feel Jones And Cuban Panel Was Highlight Of Show

PLAYING TOO SAFE? THE BIG LEAD summed up Tuesday's episode as "dull," as the questions were "safe and stale." Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban and Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, however, "were anything but," as they "were probably the show's highlight." THE BIG LEAD: "What is the point in courting controversial sports figures like Namath, Cuban, Jones and Schilling, and then never steering them in the direction of anything remotely controversial? ... Right now, Buck’s show feels like a pitcher being given a third chance, with failure resulting in a trip back to the minors" (THEBIGLEAD.com, 9/23). But BROADCASTING & CABLE's Ben Grossman wrote Tuesday's episode was a "markedly different show than the June premiere, and all the differences were improvements." The show "wasn’t so forced and it just let Buck stay in his comfort zone," as they "booked good guests and Buck to his credit just got out of the way." Also, "completely missing were any awkward attempts at humor." While doing only four shows per year "leaves zero chance of ever building any sort of rhythm, if Tuesday was any indication, the show will probably get better in its third episode" (BROADCASTINGCABLE.com, 9/23).