TV Show: The Talk

My favourite daytime drama As The World Turns has been cancelled. In its place CBS has placed a new talk show aptly named “The Talk”. Here is a rundown on it’s hosts.

Julie Chen – Host of The Early Show for 8 years and Big Brother for 11 seasons.

Sara Gilbert – Best known for her role as Darlene Connor on long-running sitcom Roseanne. She has made guest appearances on Will & Grace, Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order: SVU, 24, Private Practice, and Welcome to New York.

Sharon Osbourne – Wife of rocker Ozzie Osbourne, star of reality show The Osbournes, had her own short-lived talk show a few years back, currently a judge on America’s Got Talent.

Holly Robinson-Peete – Most recently a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice. Starred on television series’ 21 Jump Street, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, For Your Love, and One on One.

Leah Remini – Best known for her role as Carrie Heffernan on King of Queens.

Marissa Jaret Winokur – Best known for performances on Broadway. So far she has yet to appear around the table. I believe she is more of an off-set correspondent.

When I first heard about this television talk show which debuted last week (October 18th, 2010), I thought it was going to be an imitation of “The View” – five ladies of different backgrounds sitting around a table talking about the issues of the day. This may be true to some extent but I find “The Talk” refreshing. I feel their target audience is geared more to parents and today’s issues rather than politics.

This week on “The Talk” they are focussing on bullying – not just for a day but over several episodes. They also keep the show lighthearted with celebrity guests and humour.

The women do have differing opinions of which they are passionate, but the atmosphere is much different, more refreshing. Julie Chen keeps the hosts in line while Sharon, Holly and Leah can get excited about discussions. Sara is calmer and cooler than the others. Her participation had been questioned because she appears to be soft-spoken and shy but Julie Chen assured everyone that the show was actually Sara’s idea.

It is hard to explain the differences between “The View” and “The Talk” except to say “The View” feels ‘older’ while “The Talk” seems younger and more fun. Like “The View”, “The Talk” is filmed live. However, unlike “The View”, while the topic of the day is being discussed, one of the hosts is backstage online at Twitter chatting live with viewers.

As unhappy as I was about the cancellation of As The World Turns (and I still am), “The Talk” is a delightful alternative.