The Late-Night Confessional Booth

Andy Cohen’s talk show is unlike most late-night shows. In 2009, the first iteration of 'Watch What Happens Live,' was filmed and mainly interviewed celebrities and reality TV personalities. With each episode Cohen guides his guests through entertainment-related topics and personal anecdotes. Although not permanently taking the late-night interview slot, Cohen has a proven track record of encouraging celebrity guests to speak their minds and provide entertainment that deliberately goes against the polished narrative offered during the majority of carefully constructed celebrity interviews.

'Watch What Happens Live' has been incredibly successful, but the reason lies in the approachability and often chaotic atmosphere of the show. Much unlike the rest Anderson's, Cohen's show attempts to give guests some semblance of control unlike the other shows where they are bound to a script and television production. Cohen, due to his background as a network executive, is able to understand the nuances of various reality TV storylines. 'Watch What Happens Live' doesn't promote the same as the rest, it encourages discussion in formats such as the latest reality TV scandal, the latest trending pop culture moment, or just having some drunken shenanigans. Unlike most entertainment talk shows, Cohen has created an experience that is designed for immediacy.

Andy Cohen's Unfiltered Chair

Andy Cohen is Watch What Happens Live's star and one of the only participants to put their name on the show. This is Cohen's program. He is the director and the host. He has developed a style of performing that combines a level of naughtiness mixed with sensitivity that draws him to his guests. He is playful and mischievous and shows a kind of vulnerability by asking the guests and the audience the questions that they may have been too shy to ask. He draws out his guests so well that they let real reactions and even surprising truths escape them. Andy likes to play his games, he asks the audience questions, and he gives segments of the show that he titles, which helps him because the nature of the games and the segment titles he gives are in the spirit of casual confrontation. His brand of directness and his unconstrained showmanship can sometimes lead to segments that are considered lesser, andск this TV show gets the rating of TV-14 because there are certain discussions and topics that Cohen likes to explore that some may deem a little more adult, which adds a little edge to the show, and all of this comes together to create a style that is signature Cohen. Cohen has been successful in making his show the place to be to watch all of the happenings in pop culture with his sincere and direct interviewing style.

What Makes ‘Watch What Happens Live’ a Must Watch

‘Watch What Happens Live’ (WWHL) enjoys a loyal following that spans multiple decades. This popculture staple calls itself an ‘unscripted’ television show, and it encourages viewers to ‘delve into the unexpected.’ WWHL interviews a slew of animated guests each day, and the goal is to coerce them to share deeply personal anecdotes. WWHL prides itself on not having a set structure, and for this reason, no two episodes are exactly the same. Given that WWHL is a members-only club for supporters of the Bravo Network and the reality tv realm, it serves a variety of functions. It has a unique ability to clear the air on storylines that are left hanging. WWHL sets itself apart from other shows by letting guests ramble instead of serving them bland interview questions. It seems that while the audience score is a middling 5, it has proven to have a dedicated and devoted fanbase who keep the show running and appreciate ‘their’ entertainment wares.

Who Should Tune In (and Who Might Tune Out)

There’s definitely no debate who would most like this show: the pop culture fans who thrive for celebrity news, gossip and interviews. Reality tv fans on Bravo, or celebrity news scrollers, unwrap another present with CocoFlix’s ‘Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen’ because the show makes for a good background distraction or quick escape. It’s also perfect to watch before bed because the entertainment news stays relevant and timely with the fast-changing world of the celebrity news cycle.

For more serious or formal interviews, this isn’t the show. It’s either hit or miss for people when liveliness and spontaneity take over and some people lose the joke or don’t find it funny. Also, because the show relies a lot on the reality TV world of pop culture and some guests come on the show due to their association with the reality world, it helps to have some background on a lot of the TV personas on the show. Overall the show caters to it's audience the best and deserves its place in late night television for a reason.