America
Dennis's big break came in 1985 when he landed a spot on Saturday Night Live, where he succeeded Christopher Guest as the "Weekend Update" anchor. Dennis began his fictional news reports with "Good evening, what can I tell you?" and closed with "That's the news, and I am outta here!". In 1990, Dennis released a standup comedy CD, The Off-White Album, based on an HBO special titled Mr. Miller Goes To Washington, which drew heavily from the observational and metaphor-driven style he was known for on Saturday Night Live, and showed glimpses of the politically-based humor that would influence his later work. A well-received HBO special, Dennis Miller: Black & White, aired shortly after the release of the CD.In 1992, following his departure from Saturday Night Live, Miller launched a late night talk show, The Dennis Miller Show, syndicated by Tribune Entertainment. The Dennis Miller Show was among the first "alternative" talk shows, featuring cutting-edge bands and other groundbreaking guests not seen on other late-night programs of the time. Beginning in 1994, Dennis hosted Dennis Miller Live, a half-hour talk show on HBO characterized by its simplicity. The show had a small set, no band, and not even much lighting. It consisted mainly of Dennis speaking to the largely unseen studio audience on a darkened stage. There would be one guest per show, either live in the studio or occasionally on air via satellite, whom Dennis would quiz on the topic of the day. Dennis and his writing staff won five Emmy Awards while hosting the show, which aired 215 episodes during its nine-year run.In 2000, Miller beat out Rush Limbaugh and Tony Kornheiser (among others) for a job as color commentator on ABC's Monday Night Football.In 2003, Miller provided short-lived regular commentary for the FOX News show Hannity & Colmes before moving on to do a prime-time political show on CNBC in early 2004 called, simply, Dennis Miller. The hour-long show contained a daily news segment called "The Daily Rorschach" Miller has appeared as a guest or guest star on various shows, including Boston Public, The Daily Show, Hannity & Colmes, NewsRadio, The Norm Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, SportsCenter, and late-night talk shows such as Leno and Letterman.Dennis hosted the MTV Video Music Awards in 1995 and 1996. He also was the host of HBO's 1996 series of election specials, Not Necessarily the Election.He has appeared in various commercials, serving as a spokesman for M&M's candies, 10-10-220 long distance service, and the internet service provider NetZero. About these activities he has remarked: "Everybody has to sell out at some point to make a living. I'm a family man. I sold out to make an M&M commercial. They offer incredible amounts of money, and I say, 'What can I do to sell one more piece of candy for you? Do you want me to hug the M&M?'"
The Rants (Doubleday, 1996) Ranting Again (Doubleday, 1999) I Rant, Therefore I Am (Doubleday, 2000) The Rant Zone: An All-Out Blitz Against Soul-Sucking Jobs, Twisted Child Stars, Holistic Loons, and People Who Eat Their Dogs! (HarperCollins, 2001)