Oprah's Daytime Domination: 13 Talk Shows That Died During Her 25-Year Reign
by Jean Bentley
posted May 24th 2011


Oprah Winfrey has managed to stay on the air for an unrivaled 25 years while keeping her show current and fresh. How? That's a mystery we mere mortals may never understand.

But there were several stars who attempted to duplicate the big O's success over the years, all starting with the naming standard no future host would dare to change: 'The Show.'




Though many managed to last more than a decade each (persistence paid off for Montel Williams, Ricki Lake, Geraldo Rivera and Jenny Jones), no other talk show host has made it to the quarter century mark.

To show you just how big a feat Oprah has accomplished, here's a list of 13 daytime talk shows that came and went during Oprah's tenure, a feature which could also be called Talk Shows that Oprah Killed.







"[I]The Roseanne Show" (1998-2000)

After Roseanne Barr's eponymous sitcom ended, the comedienne turned to daytime television to display her unique brand of in-your-face working class comedy.

Between interviewing celebrity guests like Enrique Iglesias and William Shatner, the actress starred in skits that occasionally featured members of the live studio audience.









"The Rosie O'Donnell Show" (1996-2002)

Before her blog haikus and art career, actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell hosted a family friendly daytime talk show where she interviewed celebrities, gave prizes to her studio audiences and playfully crushed on Tom Cruise.

One aborted "View"-hosting stint later, O'Donnell will take her Oprah-approved talk show to OWN this fall.

Fun fact: she'll be filming at the house that Oprah built, Harpo Studios in Chicago.









"The Caroline Rhea Show" (2002-2003)

Handpicked by Rosie O'Donnell to inherit the daytime talk show throne, Rhea's iteration of the show didn't take off with viewers.

It was canceled after a brief nine-month run.









"Geraldo" (1987-1998)

A lowbrow precursor to "The Jerry Springer Show", Geraldo Rivera's daytime series ran for more than a decade and featured juicy celebrity exposes, fistfights and scandalous topics.

The show's most famous moment came during the second season, when a brawl broke out between white supremacists, black activists, anti-racist skinheads, Jewish activists, audience members and crew members.

Even Rivera himself threw a few punches.









"The RuPaul Show" (1996-1998)

The legendary drag queen worked her "Supermodel" success into a cable variety/talk show on VH1.

Celebs stopped by to chat with RuPaul, perform and participate in comedy skits.

The show was co-hosted by longtime sidekick Michelle Visage, who now appears as a judge on "RuPaul's Drag Race".









"The Jenny Jones Show" (1991-2003)

Jones dropped the "Oprah"-like talk show format after two seasons and segued straight into tabloid-friendly fare like paternity tests, boot camp for out-of-control teens and feuding neighbors.

The show made headlines in 1995 when a guest killed the man who brought him on the show to confess his crush. The victim's family sued Jones and the show for not adequately screening the participants and won a $25 million judgment that was eventually overturned.









"Ricki Lake" (1993-2004)

Go Ricki! The actress' long-running talk show featured invited guests discussing a variety of topics.

Lake, who lost the outstanding talk show host Daytime Emmy to Oprah in 1994, is currently developing a new version of the show that is scheduled to debut in 2012.









"The Montel Williams Show" (1991-2008)

The often inspirational series featured shows dedicated to mother-child reunions, finding lost loves and rape and assault survivors.

Montel Williams, a Navy veteran, earned seven Daytime Emmy nominations and one win for Outstanding Talk Show Host.









"The Joan Rivers Show" (1989-1993)

Noted comedian, "Celebrity Apprentice" winner and plastic surgery patient Joan Rivers was no stranger to talk shows, having frequently appeared on "The Tonight Show" and the short-lived "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers".

Rivers' daytime attempt lasted five years, and even earned her a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show host in 1990.









"The Tyra Banks Show" (2005-2010)

The "America's Next Top Model" guru decided making wannabe models cry wasn't enough do-gooding, so she launched a daytime talk show focusing on women's issues.

The show took on a decidedly "Oprah"-esque vibe with a "Maury" twist, but ended in 2010 when Banks decided she'd had enough.









"The Sharon Osbourne Show" (2003-2004)

Riding the post-"Osbournes" wave of success, the wife of rocker Ozzy tried her hand at the talk show circuit.

Clearly -- seeing as the show only lasted for a season before its cancellation -- Osbourne soon realized the solo talk show wasn't her forte.

She's back on TV as a panelist on CBS's morning show "The Talk", and is about to judge her fifth season of "America's Got Talent".









"The Wayne Brady Show" (2001-2004)

ABC tried to find a way to leverage the success of breakout "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" star Wayne Brady, turning the triple-threat's variety show into a syndicated daytime talk show after a year due to low ratings.

Unfortunately, the show never found its footing in the crowded market and shuttered in 2004.









"The Megan Mullally Show" (2006-2007)

Another funny lady who got her own talk show, Mullally failed to differentiate her series from the rest of the shows on air.

The series was canceled after just one season.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/05/24/13-talk-shows-oprah-winfrey-killed/

The Bonnie Hunt Show (2008 -2010)

All those shows deserved to be axed.

Lake, Rivera, and Jones each had runs of around 11 years.
Montel Williams was 17.

Not too shabby, considering.

Good also to see Oprah Winfrey going off the air.

I actually liked Rosie O'Donnell's show at first. I used to love it when she'd throw those kush balls into the audience. She used to pray for Barbara Streisand and Tom Cruise to come on her show. Tom finally came and she used to call him "My Tommy". It was cute. but when Barbara came on, Rosie was crying just introducing her! Then she had Barbara on during the entire show. The only other guest was her husband.

Didnt Carnie Wilson have a show?

Wow. Jenny Jones. That show brings back some horrible memories.

Whatever happened to her?

The Jerry Springer Show is currently on season 20 and has been renewed through the 2013-2014 season. Anyone think he can beat Oprah for more than 25 seasons?

Either way, its good to see Oprah go - she was annoying.

...were scheduled directly opposite Oprah in every local market {i.e. WABC-TV in New York, even though they carried Oprah at 4pm instead of the "live" 10am(et) satellite feed from Chicago, did present the live "ROSIE O'DONNELL SHOW", from New York, at 10am during its entire run}; most stations had the option of running those series in the morning, afternoon, and sometimes at night; for example, WABC-TV decided to schedule Caroline Rhea's show locally after "NIGHTLINE" (thus guaranteeing her cancellation after a single season), while replacing Rosie in the morning with "THE WAYNE BRADY SHOW"- syndicated, not surprisingly, by ABC's parent company, Disney, through their "Buena Vista Television" division- which lasted just two seasons. He was good, but another "Rosie" he wasn't.

...and then there was "THE MARTIN SHORT SHOW"......

:tv:

but when Barbara came on, Rosie was crying just introducing her! Then she had Barbara on during the entire show. The only other guest was her husband.

Thanks to my liking of Rosie O'Donnell in the late 90s (yeah, emphasis on late 90s here), you're thinking of James Brolin. He was known for starring in the late 90s drama "Pensacola: Wings of Gold" at that time.

I actually liked Rosie O'Donnell's show at first. I used to love it when she'd throw those kush balls into the audience. She used to pray for Barbara Streisand and Tom Cruise to come on her show. Tom finally came and she used to call him "My Tommy". It was cute.

This was thankfully before that god-awful year that Rosie was on "The View," but I actually liked Rosie back then for some reason (I thought the 1997-98 season was the best). Another guest she prayed for to get booked on her show was Elton John, and Rosie was much more successful getting him a few weeks later than Barbra Streisand, which took until November 1997 to happen.

Didnt Carnie Wilson have a show?

Yes, Carnie's was one of the MANY talkers that premiered in the fall of 1995 and was axed after that one year (others that come to mind include Gabrielle Carteris, Tempestt Bledsoe, Danny Bonaduce, Mark L. Walberg, and George Hamilton/Alana Stewart).

What happened to Phil Donohue?

I miss a lot of the trashy shows that got airplay in the daytime hours. They used to come on when I came home from school after the cartoon block ended. Sometimes Ricki and Jenny got really interesting with their endless parade of strippers and cheaters.

Also, another one that I think should be mentioned is Howie Mandel's 1998-99 talk show. Howie had mentioned in the "Don't Touch Me!" autobiography he wrote a while back that he was lucky enough to get the exact studio that Johnny Carson taped his "Tonight Show" in (Jay Leno moved to another studio across the hall when he started). Also, the reason his talk show only lasted one year was because it never gained any viewers (though they never lost any throughout the year, either).

....and then there was "THE MARTIN SHORT SHOW"......

His show premiered in the fall of 1999 and lasted just one year (I remember where I lived at that time, it aired on the ABC affiliate at 10:00 AM to start with, but then in January, it got moved to the late-night hours so quickly that the TV Guide didn't get the change published until a month or two later).

What happened to Phil Donohue?
He still has Oprah beat. His show ran from 1967 until !996 including his local broadcasts. His show ran for 26 years (1970-1996) in national syndication.