First and foremost, what is ABC thinking allowing this kind of turnover all at once on The View? While they all claim that Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck are leaving of their own accord, both Behar and Hasselbeck are continuing on with television. It's difficult to fathom the thought process that on one of the few iconic and successful daytime talk shows left (seriously-even if its ratings have slipped a bit in recent years, think of how many talk shows have tanked in recent years and you'll see how vitally important The View is to the ABC lineup), that they would allow things to shake up so much.
All television series are based on the audience caring enough about the characters or personalities to want to return daily or weekly to see what happens next in those people's lives. With almost all series, the pull is more about what happens next than solely the characters-you may not love everyone on a show, but you become invested in part of it enough to want to see what will come next to our beloved crew.
With talk shows, though, you come back almost exclusively to see the same personalities day-in and day-out. Ellen Degeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Rachael Ray-these shows are far more about the women that are at the center of the series than about anyone that is being interviewed or performing that day on the show.
This is why it seems stunning that they would allow such a large overhaul of the show's central panel. The View has always had strong success with changing personalities-the permanent panel has had five other members before the current lineup, but only once before have they altered two people in the same year (Meredith Vieira and Star Jones both left within the same month, and something tells me the latter was more of a push than a decided to leave). The current lineup of women has been one of the show's most successful creatively-this is the only panel to have won a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Talk Show Host(s) and the show still brings in strong numbers from 18-49-year-old women. The show also continues to spark water cooler conversations-with its regular lampoons on Saturday Night Live to high profile interviews with President Obama and the First Lady, the show is one of the most talked about in daytime television. ABC made a foolish decision in not trying to stagger a bit more the releases of these women from their contracts (you cannot tell me that a raise for either Behar or Hasselbeck wouldn't have prompted them to say no to their upcoming gigs-money talks in television...to everyone).
Secondly, I really hate the lack of respect the show seems to have had for viewers lately with the "goodbyes" of these anchors. I get that Elisabeth Hasselbeck isn't what lay viewers of the show would call beloved, but I have to admit that I've been a fan, mostly because I watch every day. Most people think of Hasselbeck and they think of her famous YouTube barbs with Rosie O'Donnell. However, she's a great personality on the show-she went from a newly married woman to a mother of three over the course of the past ten years, and it's fascinating to watch her views on issues like gay marriage grow over the course of a decade. She's also one of the few Republicans on television that can have a meaningful conversation with a liberal without it turning into a bitter, hateful fight (admittedly, that wasn't easy with O'Donnell, who is not known for tempering her opinion in a debate). If you don't believe me, compare her to almost anyone on FOX News and tell me you wouldn't prefer Hasselbeck.
So it's disappointing to me that she doesn't get the goodbye rollout that Behar and almost certainly Walters will. She probably had a non-disclosure agreement in her contract to go to Fox and Friends, but she doesn't start there until September. Why not have an Elisabeth day (invite Tim onto the show, or something of that ilk) on The View? Not having respect for the viewers of a show is always a bad idea, even if its in regard to a personality that not all of the fans of the show connect with, because it makes the program feel disposable and it makes the viewers feel cheated. And one more caveat about Hasselbeck before I get off the subject: it's impressive to consider how, out of almost all of the reality television personalities through the years that have tried to make it in entertainment, she is one of the most obviously successful. Aside from the Kardashians (who have had success in business, while not so much film) and the Idol alum, no one really hits the same league as Hasselbeck's success as a former reality television star, and so that's something to be impressed by, if nothing else.
Finally, there's the entire swirl around who will replace these three women and where the show goes next, and you can bet that I have an opinion on all of this. The current names have all been hinting at who would replace Behar, and while I don't think that it necessarily needs to be a liberal comedian, there are worse directions to take the show than copying Behar's brand of one-liners. Of the two that are being considered, please for the love of God, don't go with Jenny McCarthy. I get the push to want to court controversy, as it worked so well with the ratings with Hasselbeck and O'Donnell, but her views on medicine cross the line from controversial to dangerous, and I don't feel that we should be giving anyone a platform to such scientifically-disproven theories. It's one thing to say you're against the legalization of abortion or in favor of school prayer on television-that's a debatable topic even if you disagree with it; espousing that vaccines cause autism when there is absolutely no proof is quite another, and could be dangerous if children decrease their use of vaccines in the future.
Brooke Shields, on the other hand, is a solid choice, though I would hope that, not to be ageist, they maintain a generational balance on the panel. Hasselbeck was the youngest member of the panel, and so I suspect they'll want at least hers or possibly Behar's replacement to represent the Gen Y gang, particularly with the focus on 18-34 year-olds in the increased competition against The Talk. And much to America's chagrin, there should be a conservative viewpoint on the show. I'm not saying it should be Laura Ingraham or Ann Coulter (I will stop watching if either joins, just an FYI ABC), but someone like Meghan McCain would be a possibility-it's called The View, after all, and Republicans make up a large percentage of the country's views. And finally, for Walters replacement, considering her stature as a former nightly news anchor and the fact that her talk show is tanking, Katie Couric seems about as perfect as anyone could be to step into the Walters seat.
Finally, before I leave you, I want to point out one last thing that I don't want at all on the show-a guy on the panel. The show works because of its gender-one-sidedness. You can go on FOX News or CNN to regularly get a male-dominated opinion, and as late night will show you, there's no shortage of male talk show hosts. People like Bryant Gumbel or Mario Cantone can be fun for a one-time appearance (Perez Hilton, on the other hand, is fun for no one), but the show works so well because it celebrates women and their views in such a direct and obvious way. Throwing a guy permanently on the panel would give the show a loss in its edge, and quite frankly, give The Talk a leg-up in that regard.
So those are my views currently on The View, but what are yours? Are you sad by any of the recent departures? If you aren't, do you actually watch the show? And whom do you hope goes onto the panel? Share in the comments!
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