schroeder

Kind of disappointed about SSK getting cancelled. It was a nice escape. Ironically, I think it would have built more of an audience during the pandemic with so many people at home. The cancellation may not have been announced officially, but all the youtube videos from the show already say “GMA3” instead of “Strahan Sara and Keke”. “What You Need to Know” is probably cheaper to produce as well. Fewer hosts means fewer salaries and no studio audience means no extra staff needed to take care of an audience. I like Amy Robach, but does she want this show permanently? She’s already on GMA plus 20/20.

YES! And it's not just about politics. How many times does she start with random anecdote about giving birth/being a new mom and say, "I decided at that moment that I would never judge another woman/mother...." Case in point, when Meghan Markle had her expensive New York baby shower, she's the only one who said she was turned off by the expense and how MM appeared to suddenly only have new A-list friends, but didn't seem to have any long-term friends. Then after commercial break, she took it all back like she was panicked, saying she loves MM, etc. Wait, what? She had just presented a view, one that maybe not everyone agreed with, but she had good points - and then backtracked? It wasn't even a political viewpoint. All I could think is that she was worried about a social media backlash or not being liked.

Agreed. I think three is the magic number. The dynamics are good now, the lunch dish segment is fun and they the hosts all represent different demographics and stages of life and genuinely seem to get along. Also noticed their social media numbers have skyrocketed since Keke Palmer joined the show. I would say sometimes they are talking over each other when excited about a topic, so if this figure this dynamic out, it will be a little more smooth. Not sure how they are going to keep Keke Palmer though - I know she's young, but with all her projects, I feel like she is going to burn out!

Not sure I understand her appeal. I did not find her very good on Today and actually found her rude on group segments. Sometimes when she was on weekends with the classy Lester Holt, she was kind of rude to him and seemed to be trying to be cool, which was annoying. There seems to be a narrative now being pushed in articles (or maybe her PR team) that they chose Megyn Kelly over her and she is now getting the last laugh. I don’t think that’s the case. She definitely didn’t have Megyn Kelly’s profile at the time, but she already was established at NBC and had they thought she brought value over the years, IMO they would have worked hard to keep her. But they didn’t.

Have I missed an announcement? Has Keke Palmer officially joined Strahan and Sara? Both hosts are back but she’s still there and nobody has said anything! I think it’s great if she does join, but a little surprised, given she has an acting career on the rise. They will have to change the name and set... again!

I’m all for Hoda being able to take time off with her baby. I don’t want to dump on her for having the means to take time off. This baby may also have some medical issues we don’t know about. Or not. Even so, if she’s been able to negotiate this time off, then good for her. She’s been loyal to Today, ready to chip in during crises. It’s true that I am surprised, as her leave came soon after launching the new show with Jenna; I assume Hoda would be a stabilizing presence for viewers and advertisers would want her there. It would be difficult to gauge ratings for the new show and now that Jenna is going on leave, there will be even less stability in August. I’m sure Hoda is very aware. Maybe she is dealing with personal stuff and just needs time off and maybe she’s even taking less pay - we don’t know. I’m willing to give her the benefit of a doubt.

That’s unfortunate. It means the show will continue in the ridiculous self-important direction it’s taken. Don’t think I’ll be subscribing to next season. It’s too bad, because I was a loyal TGW and Christine Baranski fan.

I logged in just to say how annoyed I am at this season. This used to be an excellent show, but it is ridiculous now. I enjoy satire, but the cartoon-like characterizations are ridiculous. I was a committed fan of TGW from day one, and what that show was good at was balancing viewpoints. Now this show is obsessed with Trump, which could be funny, but the writing doesn't hold up. I couldn't stand the pee-pee tape episode from last year (it wasn't funny and it was gimmicky) and it's gone more and more in that direction. First, this Blum character has to go. He is a guest-star type of character and why they insist on treating him like a regular, I have no idea. TGW and TGF have always had quirky characters, but the reason I enjoyed them is because they were like gifts, once or twice a year. Of course Michael Sheen is excellent, but I don't know why this character has so much screen time when there are so many other regular actors around. They've wasted so much time making every single character deal with his shenanigans. The animated Sesame Street-type shorts drive me crazy. When one of them was censored, I was actually glad I didn't have to waste time scrolling through another one. I presume the show runners think they're funny, but they interrupt the flow of the episodes. The change in tone is jarring. The shorts appear to be trying to be clever but come off as sounding self-important IMO. I don't understand why they've reduced a great character like Diane to being a one-note character who is obsessed with Trump. There has got to be balance. I found the opening scene from the pilot where they showed her sitting in horror watching him get sworn in on tv to be brilliant. Everything you needed to know was there when you saw her reaction. It was subtle, and funny. Now they've gone over the top. She moves flower pots on window sills, she does things that might get her disbarred, and even at home, she's obsessed with her husband hanging out with Don and Eric. I feel like they're about to reveal she's been mentally ill for two years or has a slow-growing brain tumor. I also don't know why they've veered so off course the original premise. They started this series by showing different female characters and their relationships, the first relationship of importance being the one between Diane and her mentee, Maia. Last season ended with Maia and Marissa joyfully running to Lucca to support her after she comes home after labour. This season, they've literally taken Maia off the cover for the show. Lucca is not getting much material to work with. (And also, what's going on with Colin?) Marissa is literally relegated to babysitting Blum. The associates bickering is getting tiresome. I'm also tired of how many women want to be with Adrian. He's also had almost nothing of substance to do. The above storylines could be forgivable if the writing craft was up to par. There's still funny stuff. Using Gary Carr was hilarious, and I enjoyed how the show made fun of actors pretending to be lawyers by using an actor playing himself pretending to be a lawyer. (Are we supposed to ignore that Rose Leslie was also on Downtown Abbey?) But overall, I regret paying the full subscription for this season.

Anybody remember when MM said she would have to quit if Biden ran because she liked him too much and wouldn't be able to do her job?..... On the other hand, I don't quite get this argument. If you are there to represent a conservative viewpoint based on policy, then there's no personal conflict. She can like Biden and still disagree with him.

I didn't think Gillibrand look annoyed, but I wouldn't blame her if she was. She and Joy already discussed Al Franken last time she was on the show. On that last appearance, I remember Gillibrand saying that even though Franken was her friend, it didn't make his behaviour okay. Joy questioned why Democrats had to act on principle while Republicans didn't, as the outcome had hurt Democrats. Basically, it was the same conversation they had today i.e. why should Democrats go high if Republicans go low and it works? I get that Franken is Joy's friend, but this is old news. She obviously resents Gillibrand for his ouster and took it personally.

I was surprised by Meghan's reaction to the prisoner's vote. Of course in their hearts, nobody wants the Boston bomber to have a vote, but that doesn't mean they don't understand why on principle, he gets one if all prisoners get the vote. You can't just dangle one extreme example to represent a whole class. It surprised me that someone who identifies as a supporter of the constitution doesn't get this. I get that she may disagree, but she could not extricate her emotions to properly argue her policy perspective. When she got upset at Whoopi, it was almost like she was confused that Whoopi, who she likes, would disagree with her. I don't think Meghan is the reason for the rise in ratings. Rather, it's due to all the political discussions about Trump. There's been a similar rise in ratings for Colbert. Meghan is becoming more and more contemptuous and while I believe they will renew her contract, I feel like they are moving toward a situation where the arguments will get so personal that she will leave the show next year mid-season.

I'm surprised at how difficult it is for the producers to get a well spoken conservative onto this show. Ana is the closest one I've seen recently (and yeah I know some people will say she's not a true conservative). Abby is very stiff and today was the first time I saw her strongly say her own opinion.... until it turned out she was relying on her father's opinion more than her own. I'm shocked Meghan actually said she wasn't interested in participating certain topics. Had she watched this show before taking the job?? This is part of what she's paid for. They've had serious journalists on the panel before and they were able to participate in fluffy topics. She takes on a morally superior tone. However, I'd say that Whoopi does this as well. She pretends to look like all the talk is ridiculous when the others are talking about celebrities or their own insecurities. Again, it's part of the job. Don't pretend that you're better than everyone else who is willing to participate.

Agreed. The next day, when they talked about the history of blackface, I learned a lot. I appreciated that a long segment was given to exclusively explain its historial context. The commentators even disagreed at the end on whether it's okay for someone white to dress up as Diana Ross and I appreciated the DISCUSSION - something that is lacking a lot on tv these days. It's unusual for daytime tv to spend more than 2 superficial minutes on any issue, which is why I enjoyed Megyn Kelly's show. I didn't agree completely with Megyn Kelly, but I appreciated that she gave another viewpoint. I respected her. There's times where I think her reactions were disproportional (e.g., Jane Fonda debacle), but in general, I believe she provided well needed balance to NBC news. I didn't find her cold - I actually found her awkwardness relatable - but she probably shines more with hard news. I think this gave NBC an excuse to let her go, as the truth is, she had poor ratings. And I wouldn't be surprised that her willingness to publicly criticize NBC for their handling of the Weinstein investigation by Ronan Farrow made it easier for them to let her go. Also, the 3rd hour of Today before her show was AWFUL.

Jenna Bush is her own person. I was annoyed when she was first on the show, because she was terrible. She's much more comfortable now with the camera and she is quite likeable and seems to get along well with her colleagues. Billy Bush on the other hand.... Not a journalist (obvious from he couldn't stay neutral while interviewing Lochte), appears to be disliked by the audience..... not sure why they picked him. I don't think they can fire him on the basis of what he did 10 years ago. He probably has a multi-year contract.

I find Billy Bush's smirk really off-putting, and the Lochte and Trump stories do him no favors. I can't see why they chose him to do the 3rd hour when there are so many talented people out there who are clamoring to be on national tv. He doesn't seem to be popular at all.