Review: Talk Show Takedown: Sherri Shephard, Jen Hudson, & Karamo Bring The Renaissance of Daytime Talk
Sherri Shepard (left), Karamo brown (top right), Jennifer hudson (bottom right)
Many celebrities have attempted to take on the talk show genre throughout the years (Queen Latifah, Nick Cannon, Kris Jenner), and many of the shows faded into obscurity trying. However, this year has seen many changes in the genre of daytime talk shows. The very public ending of The Ellen Show, the cancellation of The Wendy Williams Show, and the retirement of Maury Povich have all left significant voids in the world of daytime talk. But while the era of The Ellen Show, Wendy Williams, and Maury has ended, the talented Sherri Shephard, Jennifer Hudson, and Karamo Brown bring a new beginning— The Renaissance of Daytime Talk.
Meet The New Faces Of Daytime Talk
Mid-September this year has seen the premieres of multiple new daytime talk shows like The Jennifer Hudson Show (distributed by Warner Brothers), Sherri (distributed by Debmar-Mercury), and Karamo (distributed by NBC). Each syndicated show replaces a former series. With Jennifer Hudson inheriting Ellen's former timeslot and crew, Sherri Shephard's show serving as the de facto replacement for Wendy Williams, and Karamo Brown receiving the torch from Maury Povich for the never-ending quest of finding who the father is. But after two months on the air, which new talk show host has shown they have the potential to last as long as their predecessor?
The Jennifer Hudson Show and Sherri follow a similar format to the traditional hour-long entertainment-based talk show. Both hosts typically begin the episode with roaring applause from the live studio audience, an introduction, follow-up on trending topics, and feature celebrity guest interviews, informative experts for everyday life, and live musical performances. Karamo's format follows the more traditional Maury and Jerry Springer aesthetic featuring real people sharing their real struggles and Karamo providing authentic and insightful advice while exploring a variety of subjects like infidelity, race, and parenting. While Maury and Jerry Springer were more well-known for the outlandish behavior of some of the guests, Karamo emphasizes providing real support for the guests who appear on his show even after the cameras stop rolling. It is essential to emphasize that when handling true-to-life stories of everyday people, not every issue brought forth will have a happy resolution or be resolved in 20 minutes in front of cameras. While some of the shows have their similarities in format, each host brings their own flare to the game— Hudson is the vivacious singer, Shephard is the charismatic comedian, and Karamo is the authentic lifestyle expert. Each has mastered a skill viewers invite into their space because of the host's welcoming atmosphere to laugh and/or learn.
A talk show veteran – Comedian Sherri Shepherd is not new to hosting, being a co-host on The View for seven seasons. Shepherd is definitely the most experienced and qualified out of the new trio, with multiple Emmy Awards for participating in The View. Shepherd is a comedian first and foremost and has made it her mission to bring joy, fun and laughter as America's favorite girl next door. Her series includes a segment called “The Laugh Lounge,” where Shepherd highlights up-and-coming comedians performing standup, her way of paying it forward after many years as a struggling comedian. Before Sherri's start, Shepherd served as the fill-in host on The Wendy Williams Show while Williams focused on her health recovery. The Wendy Show would eventually get canceled due to Williams' hiatus taking longer than initially expected. The network company eventually decided to tap Shepherd for her own show, offering her Williams' former timeslot and production crew as a de facto replacement for The Wendy Show. Full episodes of Sherri are available on the series’ official YouTube Channel.
Is there anything Jennifer Hudson can’t do? America has followed Hudson's career since appearing on American Idol, and now she is the youngest performer to achieve the coveted EGOT status (meaning she has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award). Hudson has brought her multi-skills to the world of daytime talk, taking over The Ellen Show's former timeslot and production crew. Hudson's talent as a singer and actress wows audiences, and she brings those skills to the show. However, Hudson is the first to admit that hosting a talk show is a new experience and expresses her eagerness to do a good job and learn, adding to the host's relatability. Hudson's hosting abilities can be further developed with time and practice, but what she lacks there, she makes up for with her warming personality, charm, and talent.
Karamo Brown is best known as a leading cast member of the hit Netflix reality series Queer Eye, which is currently filming its seventh season. But the activist also first appeared on The Real World: Philadelphia in 2004 and was the first openly gay black man on reality TV. Brown is the culture and lifestyle expert on Queer Eye, providing insight into improving one's well-being. Unlike Shepherd and Hudson which highlight more pop-culture and mainstream topics, Brown's show reveals the grittier aspects of real life. Brown is trained in psychotherapy and has worked in social services for over a decade, bringing these skills to the show with the determination to make a positive change in people's lives. Although, it is worth mentioning as we compare these shows that the official YouTube channel for Karamo recently deleted a viral interview after backlash from viewers. Some viewers believe Karamo and the other guest were too harshly criticizing the other young guest present. Still, the series has been welcomed with positivity.
The Takedown
By no means is this the “Hunger Games” of daytime talk. There is room for all three shows to thrive, and we hope to see them go on for a very long time. While comparing the shows to one another, it is important to remember that they are on different timeslots and are not in direct competition, per se. Each series host brings a form of charisma, talent, and point of view to the table that is unique to the genre of daytime talk television. Sherri and The Jennifer Hudson Show debuted with impressive Nielsen ratings the week of their premieres, tying with the same score and even performing as well as the more established talk shows like The Drew Barrymore Show and Kelly Clarkson. However, to no surprise, Sherri did eventually take the lead in ratings the following week. Shepherd has the experience, the comedy storytelling know-how, and the drive to make the series a success. She has spoken publicly about wanting her own series for a long time, feels she is now ready to take it on, and is grateful for every opportunity to make it happen. Each series and host has shown the potential to become a genre staple, and time will tell which series has longevity—And we place our bets on all of them.
