Debut Of FS1's "Garbage Time With Katie Nolan" Receives Mixed Reviews

FS1 debuted “Garbage Time with Katie Nolan" last night, and the show is "going to be a work in progress," according to Richard Deitsch of SI.com. Nolan "led with a Weekend Update-style block and that’s very tough to do for seasoned comics, especially without a live studio audience to play off." The result "was mixed." The show "perked up when Nolan was counter-punching with guests." Deitsch: "I think she’ll do very well when she goes out into the field for segments." However, Nolan should "tread lightly when it comes to putting Fox Sports staffers on as guests to avoid the show becoming a marketing tool for the network" (SI.com, 3/15). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick notes Nolan during FS1’s Big East Tournament coverage on Saturday was featured to "pump her new FS1 show." The promo "not only was a forced, uncomfortably unfunny session, the come-on clip of her show was so loaded with bleeped-out expletives, anything that might have been even grin-worthy was lost." Mushnick: "It’s painful to watch someone with sports knowledge and a TV presence paint herself into a professional, pop-culture corner" (N.Y. POST, 3/16).

KATIE BAR THE DOOR: VICE SPORTS’ Noah Davis profiled Nolan and wrote “Garbage Time” is seen of as an "extension of Nolan's personality, a mix of sports, humor, and general awareness about the internet and the wider world.” The show “shoots in a space so small that there isn't room for a cameraman; Nolan will operate the camera by remote,” and it is “aimed at Nolan's people: young, pop culture savvy, tired of hot takes.” She said, “I don't think there's a voice on TV that really speaks to that group. I think we all need a show.” Davis wrote whether it works or not “is another matter.” While FS1 execs “talk about ‘finding the show that showcases Katie's talents’ and various other corporate talking points, both the suits and the ‘Garbage Time’ staff, which consists of Nolan and three producers, are keeping expectations low.” Nolan: “I see myself as an experiment in the Fox Sports bubble. If it works, cool. If it doesn't work, we didn't lose much.” Davis wrote FS1 “had Nolan on contract making web videos, so why not see if she could carry a show, too?” (SPORTS.VICE.com, 3/12).