Alan Thicke had hosted a very popular Canadian talk show for many years when he was invited to host this series, which was one of the first serious attempts to beat "The Tonight Show" at its own game. The series received so much extensive pre-publicity that it led some critics to nickname the show "Sick of the Hype". The Tonight Show went on the offensive, warning performers that an appearance on Thicke's show would result in them not being invited to appear on Tonight. Ultimately, Thicke of the Night was an expensive and embarrassing failure for the network.