Fox orders David Spade game format Snake Oil from Electric Avenue, FAE

US broadcaster Fox has commissioned a gameshow hosted and produced by American actor and comedian David Spade (Saturday Night Live, Just Shoot Me).

Allison Wallach

Snake Oil is produced by Fox Alternative Entertainment (FAE) and Electric Avenue Productions, the prodco led by Canadian producer, podcaster and actor Will Arnett (LEGO Masters, Arrested Development). It is slated to premiere on Fox during the 2023/24 broadcast season.

The original format sees contestants being pitched unique products by persuasive entrepreneurs. Some of them are pitching legitimate business ventures while others are ‘snake oil salesmen’ peddling fake products. Contestants must decide which products are real, with the help of celebrity advisors, for a chance to win cash prizes.

Arnett, Marc Forman and Neal Konstantini serve as executive producers, while Spade is a producer. Konstantini is also the showrunner.

“David Spade’s signature brand of irreverent comedy and Will Arnett’s ingenuity, combined with the most bizarre consumer products ever devised, creates an incredibly entertaining guessing game that embodies everything Snake Oil is all about,” said Allison Wallach, president of unscripted programming at Fox Entertainment.

Earlier this week, FAE revealed that it is partnering with France’s TF1 and Germany’s ProSieben on a pair of new unscripted series produced through the US company’s US$100m International Unscripted Format Fund.

In addition, Fox Entertainment last week commissioned Stars on Mars, a William Shatner-hosted reality series that will see celebrities trade in their status and glamourous lifestyles on Earth for life on a simulated version of the red planet.