CBS Television Distribution is moving ahead with a syndicated daytime talk show hosted by actress Drew Barrymore, which is on track for a fall 2020 launch.
The CBS Television Stations, which represent 38% of the U.S., have signed on as an anchor station group to launch the new show. That includes flagships WCBS-TV in New York and KCBS-TV in Los Angeles.
The pickup comes less than two months after Barrymore shot a pilot for the potential talker in New York. This marks the first daytime syndicated talk show for CBS TV Distribution in a very long time., It comes at a time when the genre is experiencing a resurgence with a strong launch for NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson talk show and a solid start for Disney’s Tamron Hall talker. Like the Drew Barrymore show, both were launched by their sister station groups.
This is the second syndicated daytime talk show announced for fall 2020, It joins one headlined by Nick Cannon from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, which does not have announced station clearances yet.
“We are very excited to be in business with Drew Barrymore and have our stations serve as the launch group for a show that is the brightest prospect I have seen in many years,” said Peter Dunn, President, CBS TV Stations.
This is the first significant new addition in a long time to the CBS stations’ daytime lineup, which has stayed the same for years. Anchored by syndicated juggernauts Judge Judy and Dr. Phil, it also includes the CBS network long-running daytime lineup of The Price Is Right, Let’s Make a Deal, The Talk, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless. Auditing to that local news, there is one floating hour remaining that likely would be used for the Drew Barrymore talker. It features various syndicated shows in the different markets, including back-to-back episodes of Hot Bench in New York and Funny You Should Ask in Los Angeles.
“Drew is a huge star and a breath of fresh air – her show will energize any station’s lineup,” said Steve LoCascio, Chief Operating and Financial Officer of CBS Global Distribution Group. “We’re looking forward to working with Peter Dunn and the CBS Television Stations group to launch this premium show in fall 2020.”
Barrymore long had been interested in headlining a daytime talker. She started conversations with Warner Bros. in 2016 for a syndicated talk show, but the project never moved forward. Out of Barrymore’s relationship with Warner Bros. TV’s alternative/first-run syndication team came her recent stint as a judge on the studio’s CBS competition reality series The World’s Best hosted by James Corden.
“It is beyond my wildest dreams to have this opportunity for a daily talk show,” Barrymore said. “I’m truly thrilled and honored to be creating this show with CBS.”
The new show will be produced and distributed by CBS Television Distribution. Drew Barrymore, Chris Miller and Ember Truesdell are executive producers.
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