In the late 1990’s, The Rosie O’Donnell Show was one of the most popular daytime talk shows. Back then, Rosie was the Queen Of Nice. She had lots of big name guests, she was wacky, she threw Koosh Balls at everyone and screamed about how much she loved Tom Cruise.
Like all good things, The Rosie O’Donnell Show came to an end in 2002 after almost 1200 episodes. Throughout the aughties, she kept busy with appearances on various talk shows, producing documentaries and TV specials, and a notable run on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
In 2011, as the Oprah Show was coming to an end and the Oprah Winfrey Network was looking for original programming, Rosie announced she was going to take over the studio where The Oprah Winfrey Show was produced for 25 years.
The first episode, which premiered live on October 10, made a strong impression. The show started in a dimly-lit theater, with a big red curtain across the stage. Rosie came out from behind the curtain, stepped up to a microphone on a stand, then started a stand-up routine, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience. A chat session with Russell Brand (her first guest), a musical number with a group of sexy shirtless men (key line: “I may be gay but I’m not dead”) and Rosie and her team brought her premiere to a safe landing.
The rest of the first week’s episodes featured interviews with Roseanne Barr, Wanda Sykes, Valerie Harper and Lisa Kudrow. Rosie is an adept interviewer, not only enthusiastic about talking to her celebrity guests but also matching comedic wits with them. Both the Rosanne Barr and Wanda Sykes episodes were exceptional, as the women tossed quips at each other, sometimes in rapid-fire succession. This is the kind of show that TiVo was made for, giving the viewer a chance to rewind key moments and watch them again.
Rosie was very lucky to steal Katreese Barnes away from her post as musical director at Saturday Night Live, to serve as the leader of the show’s house band. Katreese is an excellent addition to the show, not only adding to the banter but also contributing mini theme songs for various show segments. Katreese has assembled a team of crack musicians who are always spot-on.
While this show easily thrives on Rosie’s personality, there are some technical and procedural issues that could be improved. First, the stage lighting has remained dim since the first show. Maybe this is meant to be flattering, maybe it’s meant to reflect the time of day (6:00 p.m. central time) that the show airs. Still, the studio could be lit a little brighter. Next, Rosie’s “announcer” needs to use a lower pitch when announcing the start of the show, and concentrate on using a rounder, more pleasing vocal tone. Finally, while the inclusion of a daily “game show” segment is a fun addition, it would be nice if the audience member who loses the game receives something more than a t-shirt featuring the show’s logo. Maybe the production budget doesn’t allow for bigger prizes, but seeing that Ellen Degeneres has had a lock on this segment since 2002, audiences probably expect the “loser” to receive a prize closer in value to whatever the winner receives.
Setup a season pass for this show. Rosie runs her new venture with grace and aplomb, and her stand-up / question-and-answer session at the beginning of each episode is not to be missed.
Image via David Shankbone
