Broadcaster: Paramount Network

Duration: 4 seasons, 10 x 60

Transmitted: 2003 and 2024 reboot

A highly-acclaimed and original format, The Joe Schmo Show is a reality parody where the targets, "regular schmos," are led to believe that they are contestants on a reality show. Unbeknownst to the show's main characters, everyone else on the show, including the host, is actually an actor. The series itself is an elaborate hoax designed to elicit comedic reactions from the "schmos." The focus of the format is the comic reactions of the real contestant and the shocking behavior of the stereotypical characters on the show with him -- ranging from a rich bitch to a gregarious gay guy and many others. In the format's finale, the "schmo" learns the truth and receives the $100,000 prize for which he was "competing," along with a vacation and new plasma TV.

Local Versions: Rebooted in 2024 for TBS