It’s tempting to dismiss the televised meteorological arts, a perception that isn’t helped by the fact that, pretty much every time a female weather forecaster makes the news, said news has something to do with her butt. But then you see someone reading the weather poorly, like poor Louis here, and suddenly you realize that standing next to a map and pointing at incoming cold fronts isn‘t as easy as it seems.
We’re not sure how to interpret a new reality competition show about the profession, Funny or Die Presents America’s Next Weatherman. Like it says right there in the title, the show is sponsored by Funny Or Die, and bills itself as a a comedic take on the reality-competition format. But the show is also being produced by Mark Burnett— producer of Survivor, The Apprentice, Shark Tank, and The Voice, among others—and, according to the Variety article announcing the series, the competition element will be real. Contestants will compete for a $100,000 prize and the chance to report the weather on CNN’s New Day.
Weatherman, so called even though half of its 12 contestants are female, will air late nights on TBS—11 p.m., specifically—beginning August 8, at which point we’ll find out how much of this is a joke. We will say this, though. If the competition really is genuine, this guy should win: