Mike Yurchuk (‘That’s My Jam’ executive producer): ‘I feel like we’re the Bad News Bears of our category’ (Exclusive Video Interview)
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When he woke up to the Emmy nominations on July 12, Mike Yurchuk wasn’t necessarily shocked to see the musical comedy game show he executive produces along with Jimmy Fallon and Jim Juvonen, “That’s My Jam,” nominated for Best Game Show. As he points out, “There were 25 eligible contenders in the category, so we had a 20 percent chance.” It was when he saw his four fellow nominees that the enormity of what his show had accomplished in its second season became clear. “We’re in the same category with ‘The Price is Right,’ ‘Jeopardy!’, ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Family Feud,” he marvels. “It’s like all of these legacy shows. It’s the best game shows of all times – and us. I feel like we’re the Bad News Bears of our category. We’re up against shows that all originated between 1956 and ’76. We came on in 2021. So we’re standing on the shoulders of these giants. I can’t believe it to be honest. I like to think it’s because people are recognizing the work.” See the exclusive video interview above.
For those who aren’t familiar with it, “That’s My Jam” is an hourlong NBC primetime game show hosted by Fallon that draws inspiration from Fallon’s tuneful hijinks on “The Tonight Show.” Each episode features two teams of a pair of celebrities apiece – some from the music world, some not – competing for a charity of their choice in a series of music, dance and trivia-based games and musical performances. The show’s sophomore season featured 10 original episodes with name stars playing games with names like Launch the Mic, Turn the Beat Around, Perfect Mashup, Wheel of Impossible Karaoke, Don’t Fear the Speaker and Slay It – Don’t Spray It. It all surrounds music and guessing titles, but it’s nothing like the “Name That Tune” of previous generations. It’s wild and noisy and chaotic and full of adrenalin.
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“It’s very much inspired by Jimmy’s games that already exist on ‘The Tonight Show’,” Yurchuk says, “with music at the center of everything. Jimmy is genuinely having the time of his life. He just loves to laugh and make other people laugh, and make sure you’re having a great time when you’re with him. He wants the guests to come on and have an incredible experience, so they go away and tell their friends and other celebrities, ‘You’ve got to do that show’.”
Part of the fun of “That’s My Jam” is the interesting couplings of the teams. On one, Joel McHale was paired with will.i.am, Taraji P. Henson was matched with John Stamos, Joseph Gordon-Levitt with Chance the Rapper, Quinta Brunson with Craig Robinson. Some of it is less about interesting chemistry and more about just getting the scheduling right with a group of tremendously busy people, Yurchuk stresses. “We’re shooting two shows a day for five days. Trying to get 40 people into the same room in a week, a lot of it is, ‘Who’s available? Who’s in town?’ Luckily, Jimmy has built up such an incredible reputation in the industry, and has such great friends, that people really want to do the show. Sometimes you get lucky, too. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Chance the Rapper had never met before and became best friends over the course of that episode. They were mutual fans of each other and so excited to be paired up.”
There is also a conscious effort on the part of Fallon and director Glenn Weiss to keep things feeling loose and spontaneous in the live performances and reactions. “One of the ways you do that is by not having these long stop-downs and let things lag,” Yurchuk says. “There’s an effort to keep things really tight, and part of the charm of that is, whatever happens, happens. The chemistry that happens between the people is real. Plus, Jimmy’s so good at hosting everyone that everyone feels welcome and protected. At the same time, you’re seeing celebrities putting themselves out there and they might not look perfect, but what’s nice is you see them work through it.”
And every once in a while, magic happens, such as the breakout viral moment when Adam Lambert was obliged during a game called Wheel of Musical Impressions to perform “The Muffin Man” – as Cher. It generated more than 30 million views on TikTok. “It’s what you hope for,” he emphasizes. “You can’t plan for it. It sort of has a life of its own.”
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