Several months ago, to mark the 18th anniversary of what was then the lowercase-f fX cable network and their original initiative of “TV made fresh daily,” KSiteTV posted a retrospective about the innovative period that launched the station that is now known not for their live shows, but for cutting-edge series like Sons Of Anarchy.
Last night, KSiteTV’s Craig Byrne caught up with one of the most prominent faces of those days… Tom Bergeron, who was on hand to promote the upcoming All-Stars edition of Dancing With The Stars. Tom was co-host of the fX morning program Breakfast Time which combined everything that made early fX great. It was so great, actually, that FOX decided it would work on their broadcast network — with heavy competition and creative changes, it didn’t really work, but all was still well for Bergeron, who went on to host Hollywood Squares, America’s Funniest Videos, and, of course, DWTS.
Of course, the first question that comes to mind… Breakfast Time often had some off-the-wall guests and crazy characters coming through, as does Dancing. (Bristol Palin?!?) How were the two experiences similar? “It’s similar in that I’m on a live show with an embarrassment of riches,” Bergeron says. Throughout the conversation it comes out that several future DWTS contestants co-hosted the FOX version of Breakfast Time, which was called Fox After Breakfast, including Gladys Knight and Melissa Gilbert. Other future “dancers” to appear on Breakfast Time included Donny Osmond.
Would Tom ever be game for a Breakfast Time reunion, if someone tried to get him, Laurie Hibberd, Al Rosenberg (the puppet master behind “Bob”), and Jim the Announcer together again? “It would be hard to do, because we’d have to get that environment again,” he says, referring to the classic “fX Apartment” studio. “It would have to be that space… would I love to work with them again? Absolutely. Absolutely,” he says, looking back fondly at his BT experience. “For all of the recognition, acceptance, and acclaim of Dancing With The Stars and everything else I’ve done since Breakfast Time, Breakfast Time still is my favorite experience in television,” he says.
The conclusion of our conversation came with a question about how Tom’s children, often referred to on the show as “Cody and Cody,” are doing. “They’re great. They’re doing great,” he laughs.
The new all-star season of Dancing With The Stars begins Monday, September 24 on ABC.
