January 14, 1990…’America’s Funniest Home Videos’ Debuts On ABC
Here is the first episode with what I think was the best host ever, Bob Sagget. Bob hosted the original show which aired as a special in November of 1989. It was such a hit, ABC had it on the air on Sunday nights in just seven weeks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xULetjwKL10&ab_channel=AFVClassics
Sagget hosted the first eight seasons and was followed by John Fugelsang and Daisy Fuentes for its ninth and tenth seasons. After two years of being shown as occasional specials, hosted by various actors and comedians such as D.L. Hughley and Richard Kind, ABC brought the series back on Friday nights in the summer of 2001 with new host Tom Bergeron, who has since become the series’ longest-serving host. Season 24 began on October 13, 2013. Before the show was renewed for a 25th season in May 2014, Bergeron announced in March 2014 that he will not be hosting the show after that season. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee
I did Video on this show for the first few seasons. We were there all day and most of the night for the first show. We did take after take and the audience was running out of laughs. Watch the credits. So many great ABC engineers are listed. Averril Perry still TDs this show!
I worked on AFHV during the Fugelsang/Fuentes seasons as the backup tape guy. Best crew I ever worked with and one of the most fun video tape jobs I ever had.
Another reason to like the earlier versions of the show: Ernie Anderson.
never liked Saget’s hosting…he seemed contemptuous of the people in the videos, whereas Tom Bergeron appears to be having fun with them.
Looks like a couple might have been Japan’s Funniest Home Videos instead… In the first few minutes, I spot the swing-bonk, the thing that looks like a yoyo-bonk but is actually a kendama-bonk, and the karaoke denture loser all in very Japanese settings. Guess they used some filler from the original show?
Once Saget left, the novelty of the show wore off. But the parody on the SNL he hosted was one of the few good spots of Season 20, even if portions were outright tasteless for SNL standards 😀
Was the first shows produced with one of the ABC Sports trucks since it wasn’t produced at ABC – Prospect?