Mike Myers (Saturday Night Live, Austin Powers) is hosting ABC’s remake of The Gong Show, except he’ll be disguised in this creepy makeup and ABC is pretending he’s a 72-year-old British comedy legend named Tommy Maitland, whose made-up backstory claims he used to host “an Australian game show called Dingo’s Got the Baby, in which one contestant would be the dingo and another the baby, and a chase would ensue.” A dingo eating a baby is a horrifying reference to a death and a wrongful conviction in Australia, so that — along with the roasting of Will Arnett and bathroom references Myers made in his Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance — should hint at the type of jokes Myers and executive producer Arnett will be trying to get past network censors.
Sony is also playing along with the ruse, not mentioning Myers in their synopsis:
The Gong Show is back! Hosted by comedian Tommy Maitland and executive produced by actor/comedian Will Arnett. Every episode will celebrate unusually talented and unique performers on a primetime stage. A revolving panel of judges featuring Hollywood’s hottest stars praise, critique and gong contestants in one of TV’s all-time great variety shows.
Myers is being a little less coy, using the official “Tommy Maitland” Twitter account to retweet someone saying “Tommy Maitland IS Mike Myers!” And that Twitter account is already providing plenty of fodder to replace the Gary Busey gingerbread man in my nightmares:
Voted “Britain’s Best Dance Move” from 1988 – 1990 pic.twitter.com/Vg2hZCVbn9
— Tommy Maitland (@MrTommyMaitland) June 7, 2017
The weekend is here. Have all the funsies, loves! pic.twitter.com/BndYU3L4G1
— Tommy Maitland (@MrTommyMaitland) May 19, 2017
The Gong Show will bring the nightmare fuel to ABC on June 22 at 10pm EST.
