Even Oprah can't keep her ratings up. In an industry that isn't impressed unless there's a string of consecutive years with double digit ratings gains, a modest fall off is reason to ring Beyonce's alarm. But it's not just Oprah: Regis & Kelly saw their viewership drop this year, as did Martha Stewart an Dr. Phil — and don't get us started on the new crop of celebrity faces on the talk show circuit.
The rookie class isn't faring much better. Rachael Ray Show leads with a 2.1 average on the week, while Keith Ablow (1.1), Greg Behrendt (0.8) and Megan Mullally (0.8) are all praying for a second season.
Cue the excuses by expert analysts as to why stay-at-home moms aren't caring terribly much about Rachael Ray's daytime EVOO usage or lifestyle advice from one hit author wonder Greg Behrendt. And then there's Megan Mullally, who we told you could be cut come Christmas time. The latest word into Jossip is that her contract stipulates her show must be carried for an entire season.
But as for those TV industry experts? We're waiting for one of 'em to just say those dreadful words: "Viewers were expecting Karen."
More bad news for Megan Mullally. The Will & Grace star-cum-talk show host has just seen the "competition" gain on her. Why the air quotes? Because when you're dealing with a trio of syndicated talk shows barely registering on the Nielsens, it's actually less embarrassing to mimick Britney Spears' trademark gestures than pretend there's an actual race going on.
Mullally, who's been holding third place along with Greg Behrendt's self-titled show, saw the He's Not That Into You host pull ahead from a 0.8 rating to a 0.9, while Megan remains lurking with her staid 0.8, for the pre-sweeps week ending Oct. 29. (Meanwhile, Rachel Ray leads the pack with a 2.0, and Keith Ablow's Telepictures endeavor holds second with a 1.0.)
As we exclusively told you late last month, Megan's show is rumored to be on NBC Universal's chopping block. We've been hearing a tentative pull date of January, but with results like these, it wouldn't be surprising to see Mullally disappear from daytime even sooner.
Megan Mullally's time slot changes (and, ahem, impending cancelation) is just the bedrock for more bad news in daytime talk. While Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres sit comfortably on their respective studio couches and chairs, Sony Pictures' The Greg Behrendt Show and Warner Bros.' The Dr. Keith Ablow Show are suffering the same fate as Mullally: low ratings. And with low ratings (Behrendt pulled a 0.7; Ablow a 0.9) comes undesirable time slots. While neither are losing their major major market placements (for now), Orlando, Seattle, West Palm Beach, and Knoxville are among those moving the syndicated chat fests around. But why should any of that put a damper on their production companies?
According to Sony Pictures Television, the "Behrendt" shifts were not downgrades but efforts to improve the show's delivery, and initial results are positive. For instance, in Orlando "Behrendt" was moved out of a court block and into a talk block, where early ratings are three times its former performance.
This is about the point where Jeff Zucker walks into the room, denounces talk shows, and insists reality television during the day is not just good for the bottom line — it's what viewers clearly want.
Behrendt, Ablow Receive Slot Shifts [TV Week]
It's time to check in with the three newest talk shows out of the gate: The Megan Mullally Show, The Dr. Keith Ablow Show, and The Greg Behrendt Show. Clearly, you have to be good with names to give a shit. Times TV scribe Alessandra Stanley clogged up her TiVo – or, quite likely, simply asked friends if they'd seen the shows – to offer today's review, which firmly places her allegience with Greg Behrendt (he of the "He's just not that into you" fame). The Sex and the City hanger-on's gimmick? "Minor celebrities promote their latest projects by helping people overcome petty problems." Almost like The Tyra Banks Show, except with Behrendt, the minor celebrities are the guests, not the host. Over at Megan Mullally's set, things aren't going so well, as viewers are trying so hard to identify with Will & Grace's Karen, not this sweet-voiced commoner whose mug is, most likely, filled with virgin coffee or water. And at Keith Ablow's circlejerk, where real people have real problems, you've got a discount Dr. Phil interviewing the likes of faux JonBenet Ramsey killer John Mark Karr, otherwise known as ABC's failed get. Which all makes for a lovely way to spend an afternoon — if you don't get SOAPNet.
Being Chatted Up, With the Whole World Watching [Alessandra Stanley, NYT]
