Every fall I spend opening day of daytime surveying the new shows, wondering anew what it is that keeps people watching any daytime shows.
The new contenders this year were all single-named personality-driven talk shows, most of which seemed formatted to be some kind of feel-good therapy session for people who, by watching daytime TV, clearly need it.
The biggest name is Katie Couric, who began her first show with some sort of “Bob Newhart” style parody, in which she wakes up (in a twin bed) saying she had a dream she had given up the “Today” show, was a CBS evening news anchor for five years and then started a talk show. Then Matt Lauer shows up in the other twin bed, saying it was no nightmare at all (except the part about sleeping alongside Lauer in twin beds).
Anyway, the show then starts in the typically bright studio with a cheering mob of female fans, half of whom were wearing red. Katie, however, chose blue, as she introduced her first guest, Jessica Simpson. What, you’d think it was going to be Kofi Annan?
Simpson is more newsworthy (this time of day anyway), not because she had a baby but because she took on so much weight while pregnant. That she’s shedding a lot of it in a tie in with Weight Watchers made the segment feel more like one of those fake infomercial talk shows for a while.
Then Couric had Sheryl Crow on because she had composed the forgettable theme music for the show. Not too splashy a first day but no big missteps either.
Ricki Lake went all out for the weight loss issue on her return to daytime talk after an eight year absence. While she’s struggled with her own weight, the show made it seem like they’d be talking about this all the time on this show – women’s body images, loving yourself, but losing the weight and getting a makeover anyway.
Jeff Probst may have had the weirdest talk show. Clearly a fish out of water, the “Survivor” host interviews regular people around a central theme, the first of which was “going for it.” Well, all right. First was a cancer patient with a can-do attitude, then a little girl who raised money for cancer research with a lemonade stand. Finally there were a couple of 90 year olds who had married in an old folks home, talking via a blurry Skype image.
There was also a segment when women in the audience get to ask questions of Probst and a couple of other guys in the audience (My question: What are you guys doing in this audience?).
Plus there’s a game show element. People in the audience have to say yes to a mystery adventure, then they have to go through with it. No trip the first day; instead a girl was asked to call an old boyfriend while we listened in.
The whole weird vibe of Probst’s show is akin to one of those Ted seminars, or some other feel good seminars of uplift.
Steve Harvey has less of that on his new daytime show. Instead, he brings people on with minor problems, and after joking with them a bit, offers them a bit of advice, as if the mustache and bald head will mistake people into thinking he’s Dr. Phil.
“Anderson Live” is the new name of the Anderson Cooper’s daytime show, which had enough other changes – a new set, a revolving co-host, to warrant another look on his season opener.
Nobody boasted a better pop culture line up, with Honey Boo Boo, tan mom and Beyonce. But the Honey Boo Boo were outtakes from a “Toddlers & Tiara” interview from last season’s show; Beyonce was interviewed at a UN event weeks ago, and tan mom seemed like a story as faded as her famous browning.
Kristen Chenoweth was co-host, though, and she got to tell about the injury on the set that put her out of commission for a couple of months. One segment on the guy who gave Obama a bear hug had to be scratched for audio reason. He’ll be live in the studio Tuesday as a result. Wonder what his tan’ll be like.