The Best Show with Tom Scharpling
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Genre | Talk, Comedy, Music |
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Running time | 2 hours (2000–2001) 3 hours (2001–2013, 2014–) |
Country | United States |
Starring |
Tom Scharpling Jon Wurster Mike Lisk (2005–) |
Air dates |
On WFMU: October 10, 2000 to December 17, 2013 Independent revival: December 16, 2014 |
No. of episodes | approx. 575 (on WFMU) 117 (independently) (list of episodes) |
Opening theme | "Best Show Theme" by Mr. and Mrs. Paycheck |
Website | http://thebestshow.net/ |
Podcast | thebestshow.libsyn.com/rss |
The Best Show with Tom Scharpling (formerly The Best Show on WFMU) is a combination music, call-in, and comedy Internet radio show/podcast hosted independently by Tom Scharpling since 2014, which previously aired on New Jersey-based radio station WFMU from 2000–2013. The show's slogan is "three hours of mirth, music, and mayhem."
The Best Show on WFMU first aired on October 10, 2000, occupying the 9pm–11pm time slot. Starting June 5, 2001, the show was expanded to three hours filling the 8pm–11pm slot, later moving to 9pm–midnight on June 15, 2010. A worldwide audience listened to the show live through WFMU's Internet stream, and many episodes were also archived on the radio station's website. The Best Show began podcasting its shows, with the music removed due to licensing restrictions, on January 26, 2006. In October 2013, Scharpling announced his intention to end The Best Show within several months, with the program's finale airing on December 17. About one year later on December 16, 2014, Scharpling revived the program independently at thebestshow.net. The current incarnation of The Best Show continues to air on Tuesday nights from 9pm to midnight Eastern. On December 27, 2016, the show began accepting donations through Patreon.
The show has listeners and callers around the world, from the United States and Canada, to as far afield as the U.K., Sweden, Japan, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Regular callers and in-studio guests of note have included Todd Barry, Andy Kindler, Aimee Mann, Paul F. Tompkins, Ted Leo, John Hodgman, and Patton Oswalt.