‘Attack of the Doc’ is a Fun, Fast, Emotional look back at the Launch of a Geek Culture
“Attack of the Doc!” is written, directed & produced by Chris Gore.
This deep dive documentary features pop icons including Wil Wheaton, John Cena, Joel McHale, Peter Jackson, Kumail Nanjiani, Whitney Cummings, Danny Pudi, and many more!
Attack of the Show! was unique, way ahead of its time and was a milestone that had a huge impact on geek culture.
Today I sat down with Chris Gore
I saw the documentary and the biggest thing I realized was it really captures a generation.
Yeah, that was the intention to take you back. Because of the style of it, it’s an archival documentary, and the intention is to kind of bring you back to the early 2000s.
I know that it doesn’t seem like it’s that long ago, but the world was so different. This is before social media, before Marvel movies were mainstream, before geek culture became mainstream, you know?
So I wanted to give a feeling, especially in the beginning of the movie, to take you back to that time period and then ease you into the birth of ‘Attack of the Show’, and then show its impact on pop culture.
And really it’s a love letter from fans because everyone who worked on the documentary is a fan. I was a fan even though I was on the show, I used to watch it before I was on the show when it was called “The Screensavers”, and I loved it so I was really proud to be a part of it. It was one of the only times I was really allowed to kind of be myself on camera, be authentic. It was also the least money I made, but I didn’t care. It was the most fun I ever had.
The intention with the doc was to bring you back to that era, a time where we maybe weren’t so divided as a culture or as a country, and remind people, ‘Hey, we used to have debates, but we weren’t canceling each other. We could just respectfully disagree.’ And I want to remind people that, not long ago, it was a very different, very different time.
Comic Con
I’ve been in ComicCon rooms and seen hundreds of people lined up just to say hi to you. What does that mean to you?
It means a lot because I was them, you know?
I went to ComicCon for years. I’ve been going to comic conventions when it was a couple of rooms during the Detroit Auto Show, and they would show 16mm prints of the original Star Trek series. That’s how long I’ve been going to conventions.
When I was there once I met Adam West and Burt Ward, and of course Leonard Nimoy. They were staples on the convention circuit way back when. But I grew up a nerd. I grew up when being a nerd was not cool. When you were teased and bullied for being a nerd, and what ‘Attack of the Show’ did is kind of track nerd culture becoming mainstream.
So when I see that you’re a fan of me, I’m taken aback by it. But also I just wanna inspire other people.
Look, they’re are three things you need to talk about film, I believe. One is passion. Second is you need to have some grammar skills. And third thing is a knowledge of film history. And that, to me, is a lifelong education.
Even though I do know a lot, there are a lot of things that I don’t know about when it comes to certain areas of film.
Just last year, I learned all about Bollywood and films in Telugu from one of my favorite movies of last year, “RRR”, I’m sure you’ve heard of it. My favorite movie of last year. I got a total education in Bollywood. It’s a lifelong education. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a group conversation we’re all having together, and I feel like we all have something to learn from each other.
So the fact that I have people who are fans of me is kind of crazy. I just appreciate it. I appreciate that they would take the time to just listen to what I have to say. And you know what? They don’t have to agree with me. They can completely disagree with me. It’s fine. I don’t mind.
“Attack of the Doc!” is written, directed & produced by Chris Gore, produced & edited by Bobby Schwartz, co-produced by Walter Areas, with additional co-editing by Anthony Ray Bench and Phillip H. Eubanks, and with an original score composed by Austin Smith. This deep dive documentary features pop icons including Wil Wheaton, John Cena, Joel McHale, Peter Jackson, Kumail Nanjiani, Whitney Cummings, Danny Pudi, Eric Andre, Jerry Stiller, Joe Rogan, Jimmy Fallen, Kel Mitchell, Anne Meara, Stan Lee, Sara Jean Underwood, Carrie Keagan, Riley Steele, Tom Green, Anthony Daniels, Michael Winslow, Joey Kern, Joan Rivers, Chris Hardwick, Robert Kirkman, Greg Nicotero, Jessica Chobot, Tony Hawk, and Alison Haislip, among others as we search for the truth.
“Attack of the Show! was unique, way ahead of its time and was a milestone that had a huge impact on geek culture. Its core audience is one of the most coveted around the globe. I think viewers of the original show will be down for learning the history of the network and the show which helped usher in the age of nerd culture. Frankly, G4TV and Attack of the Show! are responsible for making it cool to be a nerd,” states Gore. “And at the end of the day, I hope the documentary entertains fans and reminds them of a time when a TV show could be dangerous and provide some laughs without fear of being canceled. Everyone who worked on the documentary is a super fan, so this movie was made by fans for fans.”
Attack of the Doc! Synopsis
Before the rise of big tech, social media and Marvel movies, Attack of the Show! chronicled nerd culture’s unlikely acceptance as mainstream. G4TV’s flagship show launched the careers of hosts Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira and was beloved by fans – a unique celebration of geek culture before it was cool. Diving into colossal cream pies, wearing fat suits for comedy and putting internet servers where the sun don’t shine – anything could happen on an episode of Attack of the Show! It’s been years since the show went off the air and one question has lingered: what really happened to G4TV and Attack of the Show? Enter Attack Of The Doc! — the new film written and directed by Chris Gore, promises to answer one of pop culture’s longest running mysteries.
Follow the documentary and its journey available on Video on Demand and TVOD/Digital platforms on April 24th, 2023, which is the 21st Anniversary of the launch of G4TV.
