# Die Harald Schmidt Show

Die Harald Schmidt Show ("The Harald Schmidt Show") was a German late-night talk show hosted on Sky Deutschland by comedian Harald Schmidt. The show first aired from 5 December 1995 to 23 December 2003 on Sat.1. Schmidt then moved his show to Das Erste as Harald Schmidt and Schmidt & Pocher, but he returned to Sat.1 on 13 September 2011. After cancellation on Sat.1, the show continued on Sky Deutschland in September 2012. Schmidt retired from television in 2014.

## Writers

* Peter Rütten
* Manuel Andrack
* Suzana Novinščak
* Nathalie Licard
* Ralf Kabelka
* Katrin Bauerfeind

## Music

The house band is led by Helmut Zerlett
* Helmut Zerlett – keyboards
* Axel Heilhecker - guitars
* Rosko Gee - bass
* Antoine Fillon - drums
* Jürgen Dahmen - piano
* Thomas Heberer - trumpets
* Mel Collins - saxophone

## History

The first incarnation of the show aired from 5 December 1995 in the Tuesday-Saturday 11:15 pm time slot. The shows from Tuesday to Friday were live on tape, and the Saturday shows were live. Over time, the Saturday shows were phased out. From 30 June 2003 until the end of its first run on 23 December 2003, it also aired Monday shows.
Schmidt then moved to Das Erste with his band leader Helmut Zerlett, but without his sidekick Manuel Andrack. Schmidt moved back to Sat.1 beginning from 13 September 2011, hosting two shows a week every Tuesday and Wednesday at 11:15 pm. Sat.1 canceled the show after one season due to low viewer levels. Since 4 September 2012 new episodes are shown on Sky Hits HD and Sky Atlantic HD, two channels of the German Pay-TV network Sky Deutschland.
The format of the show is similar to American late night talk shows, with a monologue in the beginning, followed by comedy skits, interviews, and a musical guest.

## Polish joke controversy

Schmidt was criticized for multiple usage of Polish jokes in his show. In his interview, Schmidt stated that he was surprised with the reaction. He mentioned that nobody makes much fuss about jokes involving Japanese or Germans. However, when he became aware of the reception, he stopped using these kinds of jokes.

## Awards

| Year | Award | Category |
| 1997 | Adolf Grimme Award | Fiction/Entertainment |
| 1997 | Bambi | TV Hosting |
| 1997 | RTL Golden Lion Award | Best Hosting for a TV Show |
| 1999 | Bayerischer Fernsehpreis | Hosting |
| 2000 | Deutscher Fernsehpreis | Best Host in a Comedy Program |
| 2001 | Deutscher Fernsehpreis | Best Host in an Entertainment Program |
| 2002 | Goldene Kamera | Entertainment |
| 2002 | Adolf Grimme Award | Outstanding Individual Achievement |
| 2003 | Deutscher Fernsehpreis | Best Comedy Program |

## List of episodes in 2011 (abridgement)

| # | Original airdate | Guest(s) |
| 1 | Tuesday 13 September 2011 | Hape Kerkeling, Guano Apes |
| 2 | Wednesday 14 September 2011 | Anne-Sophie Mutter |
| 3 | Tuesday 20 September 2011 | Joko Winterscheidt, Klaas Heufer-Umlauf, Aloe Blacc |
| 4 | Wednesday 21 September 2011 | Jürgen von der Lippe, Selah Sue |
| 5 | Tuesday 27 September 2011 | Josef Bierbichler, Caro Emerald |
| 6 | Wednesday 28 September 2011 | Herbert Grönemeyer, Jools Holland |
| 7 | Tuesday 4 October 2011 | Samy Deluxe |
| 8 | Wednesday 5 October 2011 | Werner Herzog, James Morrison |
| 9 | Tuesday 11 October 2011 | Melanie Mühl, Lady Antebellum |
| 10 | Wednesday 12 October 2011 | Julie Engelbrecht, Rea Garvey |
| 11 | Tuesday 18 October 2011 | Leander Haußmann, Seasick Steve |
| 12 | Wednesday 19 October 2011 | Wolke Hegenbarth, Alison Moyet |
| 13 | Tuesday 25 October 2011 | Michael Mittermeier, Jonathan Jeremiah |
| 14 | Wednesday 26 October 2011 | Otto Waalkes, Milow |
| 15 | Wednesday 2 November 2011 | Roland Emmerich, Kasabian |
| 16 | Tuesday 8 November 2011 | Götz Alsmann |
| 17 | Wednesday 9 November 2011 | David Garrett |
| 18 | Tuesday 15 November 2011 | Felix Sturm, Black Stone Cherry |
| 19 | Wednesday 16 November 2011 | Til Schweiger, Kenny Wayne Shepherd |
| 20 | Tuesday 22 November 2011 | Lemmy, Motörhead |
| 21 | Wednesday 23 November 2011 | Angelika Kallwass, Jupiter Jones |