The Cher Show
Episodes 1-15
Cher dazzles in one of her most iconic Bob Mackie designs, opening with a smoldering rendition of the blues standard “Ain’t Nobody’s Business.” After a monologue featuring a clip of her stumbling offstage in a previous episode, she introduces her guests, including comedian Steve Martin, Wayne Newton, and The Spinners. Newton spoofs an infomercial, desperately trying to contain a malfunctioning coffee machine, while Cher delivers a sultry medley of “Witchy Woman” and “Honky-Tonk Woman” in a sleek, modern outfit. Newton follows up with an earnest but overwrought performance of “Feelings,” which leads into Laverne’s fantasy of hosting her own variety show, complete with an over-the-top entrance and witty quips.
Steve Martin stops by for his signature absurdist humor, performing a literal interpretation of “It’s great to be here” that leaves Cher laughing. In the Donna Jean Brodine segment, Cher demonstrates the Mug-o-Matic, a crime prevention kit that includes water spray, a weighted purse, and a feathering system. Martin returns in a darkly comedic sketch as a hypnotist who compels everyone to jump out of a high-rise doctor’s office window, including Wayne Newton. The Spinners light up the stage with “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” and Cher delivers a moody, piano-driven rendition of “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man.”
In one of the most biting satires of the season, Cher and Gaylord Sartain skewer televangelists in “Money Works Miracles,” where Sartain’s Brother Billy Jo Bob Sweeney shamelessly exploits his followers for donations while carrying on an affair with a choir member. Cher, playing his outraged wife, publicly humiliates him before aggressively hawking merchandise to an already financially desperate viewer. The episode closes with a lively big-band medley featuring Cher and Wayne Newton performing classics like “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody” and “The Birth of the Blues.” The Spinners join them for a finale of “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You,” sending off the show with a mix of nostalgia and high energy.
