(ABC / Lorenzo Bevilaqua)
Today, ABC airs the final episode of their daytime series, The Chew. Last month, the network announced that the cooking-themed talk show had been cancelled after more than 1,400 episodes. Will you miss it? Was this the right decision?
Launching in September 2011, The Chew replaced the All My Children soap opera after its 41 years on the network. A talk show that incorporates cooking and lifestyle-related segments, the series was initially hosted by Mario Batali, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, Daphne Oz, and Michael Symon. Oz departed the show after six seasons and Batali left following sexual misconduct allegations in December 2017.
ABC decided to cancel The Chew in order to expand their Good Morning America series to three hours. NBC’s Today show has had a third hour (with various titles) since October 2000. The current incarnation is Megyn Kelly Today.
While the third hour of Today typically followed the regular program’s two-hour broadcast, hour three of Good Morning America will air separately, in the afternoon. The new hour of GMA is expected to be taped and not presented live, as the regular program is. ABC is making this move as Today has been taking the lead in various demographics in the morning ratings race.
If ABC had wanted to expand GMA to three hours, couldn’t they have replaced either The View or Live with Kelley and Ryan? That was unlikely to happen since both perform better in the ratings than The Chew. In particular, The View has been growing its audience and has been seeing its best ratings since the 2014-15 season (a rarity in today’s landscape). Meanwhile, The Chew has been in last place, ranking 13th out of 13 daytime series.
While ABC may have high hopes for a third hour of GMA, they no doubt have an uphill battle ahead. Daytime audiences often don’t like change and some viewers still hold a grudge against The Chew for replacing All My Children. Time will tell if the new hour of GMA will fare any better than The Chew did.
What do you think? Do you think that ABC should have cancelled The Chew TV series? If not, what could they have done to boost the ratings? Will you check out a third hour of Good Morning America?
This was the best show on morning tv.Deeply saddened by this.
I’m very sad to see The Chew canceled. It was the one show I taped daily. I don’t watch GMA. I hope another network will pick them up. I’m not watching ABC anymore.
I definitely think ABC should never have cancelled The Chew! I planned my entire day around that show, ie… did all my housework, grocery shopping, errands, laundry, etc. before or after The Chew aired. I loved the interaction between Clinton, Carla and Michael, loved all the cooking segments, all the tips, the crafts, the celebrity guests, etc. I think ABC tried a third hour of GMA once before and I didn’t watch it then, and I won’t be watching it in the Fall. Big mistake, ABC, BIG MISTAKE!
So sad to see The Chew canceled. Also sad that ABC would think that what watchers would want to see is a third hour of GMA! This watcher will definitely not be watching GMA! Hoping The Chew will be picked up by another network! We need the laughter, fun, and lightness it provided.
Wish The Chew had not been cancelled.I really enjoyed watching it almost every day the show that should have been cancelled is The View that is the worst show on TV . Will be glad when that show is cancelled.
I love the Chew. ABC is making a big mistake. I feel like the people on the Chew are my friends. It is so great when they bring in celebrities to share their recipes. ABC makes bad decisions ALL of the time. They just want to be a cheap reality channel, especially at night.
Sad to think something like The Chew is cancelled; not enough laughs and love in this world. They help make my day.
I was shocked when I heard The Chew was cancelled. The hosts are wonderful, I loved spending the hour with them. I’ve been a viewer since its inception. Who needs another GMA, also a show I watched for many years, but stopped watching several years ago.
Totally agree. Really a delightful, entertaining, fun show. Recipes were great and easy to follow. The hosts were wonderful. I felt I was seeing real people who actually cared about their work and their audience.
I will definitely not watch the new show. No need for it.
No it should not have been cancelled. I now have no morning shows to watch. I guess I’ll start reading more. I loved the group. I was happy when Mario was gone but sad when Daphne left the show. I think The group was entertaining .
Very disappointed that the Chew is being cancelled – the only daytime show I would watch other than Ellen in the afternoon. I learned so much from this highly entertaining cast along with great recipes , alot of laughs & a pleasant show to watch without hearing about depressing news. Dont believe we need another hr of GMA -wished there was a way to save it from taken off the air – maybe another network would consider picking it up
Sorry to see the Chew go. Not really a fan of Ryan and Megan. Never found the show interesting or original. The Chew served a purpose in guiding every day people in the art of creative cooking. What a shame. I’m sure that people who make these decisions are fully aware of what they are doing. The idea of expanding GMA is waste. I don’t think many people will go for it.
Only daytime show my husband would watch since retiring. Who wants another hour of depressing news or sickening celebrity gossip? Thankfully there are still reruns of Matlock and Mash that we can watch….
I am so sad that The Chew is going off the air. It is one of the most uplifting and informative shows on tv and I tape and watch it daily. I am often sick with some chronic problems, and Clinton, Carla, and Michael just make me feel better. I loved when Daphne was on too. They just made the perfect team! Thank you for giving me 7 years of entertainment. You brought me into your little family and I always felt your love and sincerity with one another and the viewers. I think NBC is making a huge mistake.… Read more »
ABC should not have cancelled The Chew. I rarely watch ABC and a 3rd hour of GMA will not change that! The only daytime ABC show I watched was The Chew and I don’t even cook. I watched because I really loved the hosts and the show was funny and fresh!. I was familiar with Clinton from a previous show. I didn’t know Carla or Michael, but have learned to love them as much as I love Clinton; they are a great team!! There is nothing else on ABC daytime television I watch. I guess I’ll just turn on the… Read more »
I looked forward to watching this show……it was about the only show during the daytime that I watched, other than Ellen. I missed it when I didn’t see it. They always made me laugh and could laugh at each other without being mean spirited. I learned things, and made new dishes because they showed me how. What a waste of these people and one less program that I have to make network time for…….more GMA?????? How boring! Even at NBC, everyone knows that Megan Kelly’s show sucks. Why would you want to try to make another attempt at that disaster.… Read more »