Late Night Buffet with Augie and Del

Late Night Buffet was an in-development television series produced by The Jim Henson Company for TBS. Plans for the program were first announced in in June 2006, two pilots were taped in July, and the show was originally considered for a possible debut in early 2007.

Like many late night talk shows, Late Night Buffet would feature celebrity guests, sketches, a house band and other comedy bits. The twist however was that the show would star puppets as the hosts and other supporting cast.

Two pilot episodes were taped before a live audience at the Jim Henson Company studios on July 22, 2006. A promotional message from the hosts, Augie and Del, was played at Comic-Con 2006 promoting the then-upcoming show.

The show, part of the Henson Alternative brand of comedy, was not intended as a "children's show", and members of the live studio audience were required to be over 18.

Michael Wright (TBS senior vice president of original programming) commented on the show's development, saying "it's a different way to approach the late-night talk show...It takes the Henson brand's intelligence and warmth and mixes it with a little wickedness and fun."

As of October 2007, the show's production has not moved forward and there has been no mention of the pilots or the series in any of Henson's or TBS' literature or press materials since November 2006. However, in November, lead character Del surfaced as the host of a web series, Del's Vegas Comedy Binge.

Characters

Augustus Pfiffle, also known as Augie, is the host of Late Night Buffet. Augie is performed by Brian Henson, with Leslie Carrara-Rudolph assisting. The character design is by Gene Barretta.

Delbert Kastle, also known as Del, is Augie's co-host. Del is performed by Bill Barretta, with Michelan Sisti assisting. Del also headlined Del's Vegas Comedy Binge, a 2007 series of webisodes for TBS.com.

Louisa Cappellini and her Four Course Band is the house band on Late Night Buffet. Louisa plays the keyboards and sings. She's performed by Julianne Buescher, with Sean Johnson assisting. A 2006 New York Times article gave an inside look at the building of Cappellini, citing Angelina Jolie as a reference for some of the character's features: "Inside a converted farmhouse on the grounds, an employee creates a new female character, Gina Cappellini, meant for one of the resident puppeteers, Julianne Buescher, who slides the puppet-in-progress over her hand. Gina’s eyes have yet to be glued on; they’re still trying to perfect her sloe-eyed expression with the help of an Angelina Jolie photo pinned to the wall." ^[1]

Bongo, one of Louisa's pet monkeys, plays the drums in the Four Course Band. Bongo is performed by Tyler Bunch, with James Murray assisting.

Joey, another monkey, plays guitar. Joey is performed by Kevin Carlson, and was named after Julianne Buescher's brother Joe, who is an accomplished guitar player and singer.