(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?
I miss the chew. Would like to see them return. Much more entertaining than it’s replacement.
Bring Back the Chew!!
Bring back the Chew. How many people have to say BRING BACK THE CHEW before ABC or better yet NBC or CBS takes notice?
The Chew was an awesome show and never should have been canceled. Poor choice to replace it with ANOTHER hour of GMA.
No. Bring it back please.
The Chew was smart TV; the hosts were never patronizing to their audience or to each other and their off-the-cuff banter was genuinely warm and friendly. Every show was honest, candid and very entertaining. It was if we were there, sitting at the table with them. It was if we were sitting in our own kitchen chatting with friends. The Chew and its host were unique to television. #abc seems to be deaf to the appeals of #thechew fans and the #foodnetwork and the #cookingchannel are blind to the fact that The Chew is FAR BETTER THAN ANY OF THEIR… Read more »
The new GMA Day that replaced the Chew is a watered down version of Live with Kelly. Another dime a dozen talk show and they took this remarkable, educational, uplifting, hysterical show off so they could replace it with the mundane!! What’s that about ABC are you asleep or out of touch with your viewers?
I guess it was correct to cancel it, because when they dumped ginger chubby from the cast, it bummed the others out and they wanted to go. I didn’t like the ostrich anyhow.
Huge mistake canceling The Chew. I will NOT be watching the new show. We don’t need more news ABC!!!
ABC should not have cancelled “The Chew” Very informative and lively show #savethechew
It is to bad one chef can make it bad for all. I really enjoyed this show and learned a lot. I wish they would of not canceled it. I wish they would bring it back.
Loved THE CHEW! I wish it had not been cancelled.
I watched the new show. I saw nothing of the same caliber as The Chew. I believe it was a mistake to cancel The Chew for a redundant hour of GMA. I love GMA by the way.
again I don’t know who or where so-called ratings come from seems like when there is a good show the Network’s cancel Good uplifting shows what is the Network’s mentality or is there any??
Please bring back The Chew… I miss my friends.
This was a fabulous show… I’m appauled that it was cancelled. This show had a great crew and made me smile everyday… More news, BLAH I SAY!!! I just don’t get it! BRING BACK THE CHEW!
agree with everyone above and especially Simkins more news boo just what we need the chew was my go-to show if I couldn’t watch it I recorded it trying to watch reruns idiots ABC