Josh Gates Tonight is an American talk show starring Josh Gates on the Discovery Channel. It is a spinoff of Gates' series Expedition Unknown originally created as replacement programming in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdown period. The program features Gates interviewing celebrity guests via videoconference, with most episodes also including a cocktail recipe, a segment recorded in the field, and comedy bits.
Shorter episodes aired starting on April 1, 2020 and were followed by the full episode premiere on April 22. Initially considered part of Expedition Unknown, Josh Gates Tonight later was classified as a separate series. The fifth and last season premiered on May 25, 2022.
Production In 2020, pandemic-related travel restrictions halted the production of most Discovery programming, including Josh Gates' series Expedition Unknown. The network asked Gates to produce a show from a "safer at home" environment. Gates stated that the network "...were so desperate that they said, 'You can film it on your iPhone if you want.'" The talk show initially was recorded in a spare bedroom in Gates' home with interviews conducted over Zoom. Production moved to the "Expedition Headquarters" studio starting with episode 14 of the first season.
Episodes Season 1 (2020)
Josh Gates Tonight: Shark Week (2020) In August 2020, Josh Gates Tonight aired daily during Discovery's Shark Week with shark-related episodes.
Season 2 (2020) A second season of seven episodes premiered in November 2020.
Season 3 (2021) The third season premiered in April 2021.
Josh Gates Tonight: Shark Week (2021)
Season 4 (2021)
Season 5 (2022)
Reception Writing for Collider, Robert Brian Taylor recommended the talk show to fans of genre cinema due to Gates' enthusiasm for interviewing guests from classic action, adventure, and horror films. Taylor also positively noted the program's "shaggy, makeshift quality" due to its pandemic origins and its goofy sense of humor.
References