How Many Stars Does a Show Need to Succeed?
Is it better to have a radio/podcast show with a big-name star surrounded by sidekicks or an ensemble cast of equally talented players?
Compare our industry to other entertainment. When was the last time you saw a great motion picture, television show, or play featuring one big-name star surrounded by a bunch of nobodies?
A strong character is stronger with other strong characters. In the excellent documentary The Power of Film, legendary UCLA professor Howard Suber explains:
“What makes most characters interesting is often not the characters themselves, but their relationships with other characters.”
An ensemble cast of characters is vital for most memorable, popular content.
In Barbie, superstar Margot Robbie needed Ryan Gosling to play Ken and may not have succeeded without Kate McKinnon’s Weird Barbie.
For Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise — the world’s most bankable movie star — had super-strong partners like Val Kilmer, Ed Harris, and Jennifer Connelly, who stole scenes from Tom throughout the film.
But radio and podcasting shows are sometimes a bankable superstar primary host surrounded by merely adequate co-hosts. We call it a “big planet/little moons” show.
A big planet/little moons show can perform OK, but it rarely outperforms the station by much. Big planet/little moons shows that we compete against are beatable about 95% of the time, and big planet/little moons shows that we coach improve 100% of the time.
Consider these strategies if you compete with a show or have a show in your company featuring one strong host surrounded by weaker characters.
- Mic balance. One host dominating 75% or more of the mic time does not make for strong chemistry or character interaction. Divvy up hosting duties, have the more verbose host reduce word count while other player(s) step forward more. Show prep as a team is key to improving mic balance.
- Players either add to or take away from the show. There is no in-between. Everyone has to be good. Think of the streaming series Ted Lasso—Jason Sudekis’s title character is surrounded by an ensemble of memorable, entertaining characters. Everyone who gets even five seconds of airtime makes their part of the show better. Develop and encourage each player for improvement until your cast is like Ted Lasso’s.
- Opposites attract. Each player should be noticeably different from the other as much as possible—gender, voice, age, race, lifestyle, attitude, orientation, etc. Character contrast is the drama that drives a successful show. A character exercise defining each player’s endearing traits, quirks and flaws, hopes and fears highlights each player’s authentic personality.
- Name checking. Work in the names of each cast member before they speak in each segment. This helps familiarize new/casual listeners with your cast. On a big planet/small moon show, you often hear only the big star’s name.
- Limit mic time. If, for example, the meteorologist sticks around after the forecast to interact with the show, they must bring killer content and point of view. Shows get derailed when adding another voice without purpose.
- Eject the studio crowd. Some hosts are energized with 5,6,7 or more people in the room, but a cast of thousands all talking at once in front of open mics is confusing for listeners and dilutes airtime for your scene-stealing stars.
- One big star can be better than a team. If the content focus is music-intensive or a political talk show, one host with knowledge of the content can do an adequate job. More voices can get in the way. Also, most interviews are best 1:1, like Terry Gross of NPR’s Fresh Air or Howard Stern on Sirius XM.
