Popular MeTV host, Svengoolie, is growing his brand. Dubbed “Spawn of Svengoolie,” the campaign was announced on July 20, 2025, at the conclusion of “Svengoolie Uncrypted,” a one-hour special that followed the character, played by 70-year-old Rich Koz, as he escaped his dungeon and explored the world.Svengooliehas been a local Chicago TV staple for over 40 years and Weigel Broadcasting, which owns MeTV, added the character to its national lineup in 2011. Among his many fans areMark Hamill, Joe Mantegna and looks likeLady Gagatoo. Hamill has expressed his love for the show both to Koz and on social media over the years, posing in a “Svengoolie” T-shirt and, in a 2013 tweet, complimenting the set’s “awesome new coffin.” Joe Mantegna gave Koz a YouTube shoutout last January, and a photo on Lady Gaga’s Twitter feed in 2020 showed her in a black sweatshirt with a partially visible Svengoolie “Official Chicken Thrower” logo.
The network saw an uptick in viewership on Saturday nights, especially during the pandemic, as horror fans stayed home to watchSvengooliewith its campy and often obscure horror films, horror movie facts, trivia and corny dad jokes. Donna D’Alessandro, exec VP and head of content at Weigel Broadcasting said,
“I always say he’s the number one horror host you’ve never heard of. The show grew 30% in two years, hitting about a million viewers every Saturday night. That to me was an unbelievable statistic. A lot of the coastal cities are learning who Svengoolie is now. But we’re still trying to get him out there. He is a huge asset, loved and beloved. I couldn’t believe the amount of audience that he has, his following. I’d walk by his desk, and I couldn’t believe the amount of fan mail he still gets on a weekly basis.”
There’s More to Svengoolie than Campy Cult Classics
MeTV just embarkedon what it calls“Svengoolie’s Halloween BOOnanza,” a month-long programming stunt that kicked off withSvengoolie Uncrypted, and also includes a movie showcase every Saturday night, an all-new season of the Svengoolie companion seriesSventoonie, Sunday afternoon marathons of spooky episodes of classic TV series, and a horror-themed episode of MeTV’s original seriesCollector’s Call. D’Alessandro further explained:
“One of the things that we have to look at is there’s a gem here, how do we how do we grow it? How do we extend it? How do we make sure it goes on for another 43 years? And we started a little bit with this quirky little show called ‘Sventoonie,’ we call it an after-party area after ‘Svengoolie’ on Saturday nights. It’s a little different, a little bit funnier, and it’s a little bit more avant garde. That alone showed us that people want more from this character and from the brands.”
That’s where the “Spawn of Svengoolie” idea came from. In the special, Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth) shows up to audition as if he’s making a tape at home. From there, MeTV opened the gates for fans to audition to become a part of Svengoolie’s expanded character universe. The Koz and the show will appear at New York Comic-Con for the first time and hold in-person auditions there.
