ABC and ESPN rolled out several experiments over the years to reinvigorate the Monday Night Football booth; some worked, and others didn’t.
None of those experiments was quite like what happened when comedian Dennis Miller joined the MNF booth in 2000.
Sometimes I wonder if I only imagined Dennis Miller being in the Monday Night Football booth. Nope. It was all too real. pic.twitter.com/wEWQjqiJHO
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) July 7, 2020
The high-risk, high-reward maneuver and its subsequent fallout are the topic of an upcoming short documentary debuting on HBO Max on September 29.
“Miller Night Football, the first in a series of 2026 ‘NFL Shorts,’ chronicles comedian Dennis Miller’s unlikely arrival in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth in 2000, alongside veteran sportscaster Al Michaels and former NFL quarterback Dan Fouts,” reads a press release announcement. “Intended to reinvigorate the iconic television franchise and attract a broader audience, Miller’s addition, and his distinctly cerebral brand of humor, was met with both intrigue and skepticism across sports and television.”
Long-time senior producer Jeff Cameron directed and edited the NFL Films production.
According to the official announcement, Miller, Michaels, Fouts, and Melissa Stark speak in the documentary, along with former MNF producers David Israel and Fred Gaudelli; former ABC Sports President Howard Katz; and comedian Dana Carvey.
Miller Night Football is the second film in the NFL Shorts series, which kicked off with 2025’s The Shuffle, about the cultural impact behind the 1985 Chicago Bears’ famous “Super Bowl Shuffle” rap music video, also directed by Cameron.
Awful Announcing recounted the 25th anniversary of Miller’s arrival in the MNF booth last year.
“It may not work. We may find out that this is a bad idea,” said ABC Sports president Howard Katz in 2000. “But I love taking the risk.”
The former Saturday Night Live cast member spent two seasons in the booth, spouting arcane references and attempting to prove that he belonged there. He and Fouts were fired in 2001 and replaced with John Madden.
“The football thing was fun for me,” Miller later said on NBC’s Tonight Show. “I was in the middle of a maelstrom, and I just decided not to pay attention to it because for me, getting hired was a freakish act of nature. I had never gone to a football game. … I remember the day I heard that John Madden had quit Fox (and) I remember calling Dan Fouts that afternoon and saying, ‘Get ready babe, we’re getting whacked.’ … I don’t have any hard feelings.”
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.