Bringing half a decade of deadpans looks, rolling eyes, and sheer existential horror back to his old home stage, Family Feud star and original king of comedy Steve Harvey has been named as the host of the recently revived Showtime At The Apollo. Fox has announced that it’s bringing back the long-running variety show—which ran in syndication from 1987 to 2008—for a series of specials, with Harvey returning to his old place as the show’s MC. (He hosted the series for seven years, from 1993 to 2000.)
Filmed in New York’s legendary Apollo Theater, Showtime helped launch dozens if not hundreds of careers from mostly black performers, introducing artists ranging from Chris Rock and David Alan Grier to Boys II Men and Eartha Kitt to new generations of fans. The series was also notable for featuring sets from the theater’s long-running and often raucous Amateur Night, including appearances from its resident critic/garbage disposal the Sandman, who was tasked with dragging poor performers off the stage.
BET attempted its own Apollo revival a few years ago, airing Apollo Live—starring Tony Rock and Gladys Knight—until 2014. Fox’s first revival special will air on December 5, with another in 2017. Outside of Harvey, there’s no word yet on who will be taking the theaters stage for the series’ high-profile return.