Ramin Setoodeh of The Daily Beast has a fascinating look at what went wrong with Rosie O'Donnell's talk show on OWN. While there is lots of talk of egos and tempers and indecision, there's still no doubt in my mind the original show would have done perfectly well had it not been a) on a network no one could find, b) at 7 p.m., when Ro's core demographic is eating dinner. (Have you seen the ratings for "Anderson," which was already renewed for Season 2?) Ironically, I didn't start watching "The Rosie Show" religiously until Version 2.0 -- "Rosie: One-on-One," when the silly announcer, the pointless band and the sillier games were abandoned, and Rosie started doing what she does best: be herself. (Ratings apparently plummeted even more once this happened, with one show pulling in just 60,000 viewers, proving once again that the general public is stupid.) My sense is that despite her constantly telling us how much she loves Chicago, Rosie's probably relieved to be back in New York close to her family -- including her hot fiancee -- and isn't sweating this too much. I will miss her in this new format, though. While the article pokes fun at her hour-long chats with people like Dermot Mulroney, it was exactly that kind of intimacy I found so compelling, and made me fall in love with Ro all over again. Here's hoping another reinvention is right around the corner.
5 comments:
I agree with you. The one-on-one format really worked. Numerous times, I'd see who the guest(s) were and think, "Oh, I'm not going to be interested in that person for an hour [or half-hour]" only to find that the interview without an audience really made people open up and you actually did hear stories you'd never heard before and saw many comedians talking honestly about their career and life without the need to play for laughs to an audience. Is there ANY successful show on the OWN network?
Love Rosie, but this is a new day and age. We have new stars and personalities on T.V. now. This is Rosie's 2nd failed attempt at a "talk" show. I think she should either relax (she has enough money to never work again) or maybe start her own T.V. network (possibly an LGBT network to rival LOGO). She could also possibly start acting again.
Such a shame. Just when it was getting good. I wonder if there's a home somewhere for her new format. I was really enjoying it.
I'll give you kudos for one thing: You certainly are a loyal fan to Rosie.
For myself, I could never see the appeal. She had her funny moments back in her stand-up days (remember those?) but otherwise ... meh. I've always wished Rosie would be a tad more informed before she opens her mouth on an issue.
I'm not sure OWN is going to do anyone any favors.
I agree that bad programming choices and dial location by OWN had much to do with Rosie tanking.
And it's a shame.
I'm afraid Oprah's grand dreams for her network just aren't happening. I feel bad for all the Harpo studio folks who got canned when Oprah ended her talk show, and now more OWN staff are getting pink-slipped.
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