Sunday, January 10, 2016

Will a New Talk Show Hosted by 'Days of our Lives' Alum Lisa Rinna Fill Meredith Vieira's Slot? Will NBC Renew 'Days' This Week?

Lisa Rinna
Lisa Rinna has landed a job as the host of an upcoming NBC talk show, which sources tell Page Six could ultimately be a replacement for recently-canceled The Meredith Vieira Show. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star and Days of our Lives alum will reportedly star in the new talker with Scott Wolf (Party of Five), R&B singer ­Kelis and comedian Al Jackson.

Apparently, Rinna leaked the news that she got the role — along with the rest of the cast — during a ­December interview with another Bravo star, Heather Dubrow, on her podcast, Heather Dubrow’s World. Her revelation went ­unnoticed, however, until now.

“I got a talk show,” Rinna exclaimed to Dubrow. “I auditioned my little tush off six times.” She added of the panel, “We are a motley crew . . . You would not pick us for a jury, us four. It’s just going to be fun, because you know I love to talk. What do I love more than fashion? Pop culture. Are you kidding me? I, like, died and went to heaven. I tested for this thing with so many different people, and it was the most fun.”

On Tuesday, Vieira's NBC-produced syndicated show confirmed it would not return for a third season.

Sources tell Page Six the Rinna project “could be a Meredith replacement. They were considering a panel format for Meredith’s show, but it didn’t work. They could always move the news.”

But a source close to NBC said of the new show, “Nothing has been green-lit or sold to a launch station group . . . Saying any rumored development project will launch as a replacement for Meredith is simply untrue.”

An NBC rep said, “We cannot comment on development projects.”

In New York City, Days of our Lives currently airs at 1 p.m. and serves as a lead-in to The Meredith Vieira Show. The shows air back-to-back in other markets as well, sometimes flip-flopped. But regardless of where the shows are arranged on the TV schedule, a Rinna show paired with Days could create opportunities for daytime synergy at NBC. Rinna originated the role of Billie Reed on Days in 1993, leaving two years later but returning in 2002–2003 and 2012–2013. Perhaps she could make a brief visit to Days as Billie in an effort to promote both series. CBS has featured their soap actors in episodes of The Talk and The Price is Right, which has helped created a stronger daytime programming block.

As for Days of our Lives, the iconic soap opera could use some increased effort from NBC, who has only renewed the show through September 2016. Many viewers expected (or at least hoped) NBC would announce a renewal during the show's recent 50th anniversary celebration. When that didn't happen, speculation began that the network would reveal Days' fate during NBCUniversal's upcoming presentation at the Winter 2016 Television Critics Association (TCA) tour, scheduled for January 13 and 14. If not then, when? The show tapes six months ahead and time is running out. Days brought back a number of fan favorite actors for its 50th, which lead to increased buzz and, more importantly, higher Nielsen ratings. But was it enough to convince NBC renew the show for another year, or more? The answer may be just a few days away.


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