by Y. Peter Kang
Comedian and good ol’ boy Henry Cho is returning to the small screen with his new sketch comedy show, “The Henry Cho Show,” set for its pilot debut this Thursday on the Great American Country network.
The 49-year-old comic told KoreAm in a phone interview he pitched the show as a “modern-day Carol Burnett Show” featuring “clean comedy” that can be watched by the whole family.
“I had this sketch comedy idea for a while and had a window to pitch it and so I did and GAC opted to do it,” Cho said. “There is less exposure and less money but there wasn’t a lot of red tape. There were less layers to work through so the creativity didn’t get watered down. I just did what I did and they loved it.”
The Knoxville, Tenn. native said no one else is doing a sketch show which features family-friendly comedy.
“I know there is a need for clean comedians out there so I’m trying to offer something different,” he said.
The comic said the show’s target audience will be the 18-to-54-year-old demographic but admits that a big chunk of his audience is “soccer moms.”
Cho was the first American-born Korean American to appear on “The Tonight Show” (Johnny Yune was the first KA) and is considered an Asian American comedic pioneer, along with comedienne Margaret Cho (no relation). He said it was gratifying to have up-and-coming Asian American comedians come up to him to thank him for being a role model.
However, Cho says he continues to battle being cast in stereotypical roles.
“[A TV network] wants someone with broken English and that’s something I don’t want to do,” said Cho. “It’s just not worth it to me to sell out, per se. Pat Morita told me a long time ago that you can do this and stick to your guns and make it work. Bend, but don’t break, and I never have.”
Cho, who moved back to Tennessee from Los Angeles several years ago, is a devoted family man with two sons and a daughter.
“Living in L.A., so many people are in the industry and that’s the vibe,” he said. “Here I’m just a parent with a different job and that’s how I treat everything. I go to church and PTA meetings just like everybody else. No one cares what I drive here.” (It’s a 1991 Chevy Blazer for you materialistic Los Angelenos).
Cho is hoping the one-hour pilot will be picked up for a full season. The first show will feature country music singer Vince Gill (pictured below), among others.
“Just tune in and watch my show and don’t let the Saints-Packers game dissuade you,” Cho said. “You can Tivo one of them.”
“The Henry Cho Show” will air on GAC (Great American Country) on Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. EST/PST and 7 p.m. MST/CST.
Photos courtesy of Henry Cho
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