Sherri, a syndicated daytime talk show starring Sherri Shepherd, has been renewed for a third season, according to Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, which produces and distributes the show. Sherri’s launch group, Fox Television Stations, had already renewed the show last year in a two-season deal, but Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair, Hearst Television, Gray Television and E.W. Scripps joined Fox in picking up the show for season three, clearing it in more than 95% of the country. 

“We thank our great station partners for continuing to make Sherri the centerpiece of their daytime lineups. These renewals are a tremendous tribute to Sherri and the show’s outstanding production team, who after less than two full seasons have made this show into a popular daytime staple with viewers, stations and advertisers,” Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus said, also in a statement.

In its second season, Sherri is averaging a 0.3 live-plus-same-day rating among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, according to Nielsen, putting it in second place among all daytime talkers behind Disney’s Live with Kelly and Mark. In the week ended March 17, Sherri scored a 0.7 live plus same day national household rating, ranking it fourth. 

“I’m so excited to continue bringing joy, laughter and inspiration to our viewers,”  Shepherd said in a statement. “I don’t take it for granted that people welcome me into their homes daily and that's why I greet them with, ‘Hey Family!’ Thank you to Debmar-Mercury, the Fox Television Stations and all of the broadcast partners who continue to support and trust in my vision of bringing fun and comedy to daytime. And as we enter season three, continue to expect the unexpected!”

Sherri is executive produced by Fernita Wynn, who also serves as showrunner. Shepherd and her producing partner, Jawn Murray, are both executive producers. Joelle Dawson-Calia is also an executive producer, with Siobhan Schanda and Dan Fitzpatrick as co-executive producers. 

People Puzzler, starring Leah Remini, will return for a second season on TV stations owned by the Fox, Sinclair, CBS Stations, Nexstar Media Group, Gray Television and E.W. Scripps broadcast groups covering more than 90% of the country, said Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury on Thursday.

The show, which turns People Magazine’s crossword puzzles into a game show, is averaging more than 900,000 viewers, according to Debmar-Mercury, up 42% from the show’s September debut. People Puzzler comes to TV stations off of Game Show Network, where three seasons and 325 episodes have aired.

“The healthy ratings growth we’ve seen from People Puzzler in its first months in syndication has been nothing short of remarkable,” Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement. “Stations are hungry for proven performers and we are excited to be able to bring this winning game show back to the market next season.”

People Puzzler is produced by Game Show Enterprises Studios, Start Entertainment and People, a Dotdash Meredith brand. The game show combines pop culture with fun facts, pitting three contestants in a three-round battle that puts their pop-culture knowledge to the test. The contestant with the most points after the three rounds moves into the “Fast Puzzle Bonus Round” and gets the opportunity to win a cash prize.

Remini executive produces People Puzzler along with Rane Laymance for Game Show Enterprises Studio, as well as Scott St. John and Neal Konstantini for Start Entertainment and Rachel Feinberg for Dotdash Meredith.

The Conners, a spinoff of ABC’s hit ‘90s sitcom Roseanne, has been sold to TV stations covering more than 85% of the country, Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury said. The show, which is produced by Werner Entertainment and entering its sixth season on ABC, will premiere on CBS, Gray Television, Lockwood Broadcast Group, Nexstar Media Group, Scripps and Weigel Broadcasting-owned stations this fall.  

“With Tom Werner providing the highest-rated sitcom to enter off-network syndication in recent memory, The Conners will serve as the cornerstone of many of our great station partners’ late afternoon and early evening schedules for many years to come,” Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement. “This will provide them with a strong competitive advantage in their most valuable dayparts.” 

Last August, Lionsgate’s Worldwide Television Distribution Group and distribution company Debmar-Mercury partnered with Tom Werner’s Werner Entertainment on a global licensing deal for the show. Under the terms of the agreement, the Worldwide Television Distribution Group handles global distribution, including subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), ad-supported VOD, basic cable and free ad-supported television (FAST) rights, while Debmar-Mercury shepherds domestic syndication. The deal covers all existing seasons of the series, as well as rights to future seasons following ABC’s first window.

The Conners — starring Sara Gilbert, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Lecy Goranson — is produced by Werner Entertainment. Tom Werner, in association with Gilbert, serves as executive producer along with Bruce Helford, Dave Caplan, Bruce Rasmussen and Tony Hernandez.

The deal was negotiated by Bernstein, Marcus and Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television Distribution Jim Packer for the studio, and UTA and Jackoway Austen on behalf of Werner Entertainment.   

Ken Jeong, judge on Fox’s The Masked Singer and host and executive producer of Fox’s I Can See Your Voice, is in development on a daytime talk show with Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury, the company confirmed Friday. 

The show, which shot a test episode on Friday in New York, is being developed for a national launch in broadcast syndication in fall 2024. Friday’s production took place under the SAG Network Code, which allows SAG-AFTRA guild members to work on certain types of shows, including unscripted daytime talk shows. 

“Ken is one of a handful of people in the world who has what it takes to succeed as a talk show host and we are excited to be in business with him,” Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement. “Audiences connect with Ken on many levels — not only because he is so talented, entertaining and unapologetically hilarious but [also because of] their sense that he is sincere, compassionate, fearless, friendly, just genuinely nice — all essential ingredients that make for long-term success as a talk-show host. He is also a talent capable of conquering any time period with his mix of comedy, Hollywood celebrity friends and ability to bring viewers.”

Debmar-Mercury currently produces and distributes Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, and before that, produced and distributed The Wendy Williams Show. Sherri is currently the only daytime talk show with comedy as a main focus, and NBCUniversal’s Karamo is the only first-run talker original production that stars a man. Jeong would be the first Asian-American man to star in his own daytime talk show. 

Besides The Masked Singer and I Can See Your Voice, Jeong also is known for his roles on the NBC sitcom Community and as the recurring nemesis in the Hangover movies. Jeong will executive produce the show with veteran comedy executive producer, showrunner, writer and director  Jim Biederman (The Kids in the Hall, The Howard Stern Radio Show, The Tom Green Show).

Prior to The Masked Singer and I Can See Your Voice, Jeong executive produced, wrote and starred in ABC sitcom Dr. Ken, based on his own life as an OB-GYN prior to becoming an actor and a comedian. He also appears in Apple TV Plus’s The Afterparty  and in the recently wrapped Amazon production, My Spy: The Eternal City, a sequel to the action comedy of the same name, among other things.

After premiering season two on Monday, Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, has to return to repeats when Shepherd tested positive for COVID-19. 

“I am absolutely heartbroken that I cannot return to host my show this week,” Shepherd posted on Instagram Wednesday. “As soon as I get the all-clear from my doctor, I look forward to coming back strong to deliver the fun, laughter and a real good time.”

Sherri will air encore episodes at least through this week.

Sherri returned to the air in a challenging daytime environment in which other shows — CBS Media Ventures’ Drew Barrymore, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Jennifer Hudson and CBS’s The Talk — all ended up delaying their season premieres amid the writers’ and actors’ strikes. All of those shows employ some WGA-affiliated writers, while Sherri does not. The studios are meeting with Writers Guild of America representatives on Wednesday.

Talk-show hosts are covered under SAG-AFTRA’s “network code,” which allows them to work during strikes, but if those shows employ guild members, the guild considers them to be struck if they are in production during labor stoppages. 

Drew Barrymore had also planned to premiere on Monday, but ended up postponing the show’s start after fans and fellow actors reactively negatively to an apology video the host posted on Instagram on Friday, September 15. She took down that video soon after and announced on Sunday, September 17 that the show would be delayed. Jennifer Hudson and The Talk, which had been picketed by the WGA while it was in rehearsals, both followed suit. 

Other daytime talkers have premiered, including Disney’s Live with Kelly and Mark and Tamron Hall and NBCUniversal’s Karamo. ABC’s The View also has remained in production, with its two WGA writers staying out of work, but pickets on that show have increased after last week’s controversy. When NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson will return for its season-five premiere remains unknown as that show undergoes a move to New York from Los Angeles.  

People Puzzler has been cleared by Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury in more than 90% of the U.S. ahead of the game show’s debut in broadcast syndication on Monday, September 11. Stations from the Fox, CBS, Nexstar, Scripps, Hearst, Gray, Sinclair and other groups have picked up the show with Fox’s WWOR New York slating it to air at 6 p.m. weeknights. 

People Puzzler, which is hosted by Leah Remini, is based on People Magazine’s weekly celebrity-focused crossword puzzle and comes to broadcast syndication with 325 episodes after airing for three years on Game Show Network. 

“This hit game on GSN makes it a proven performer with over 300 episodes. Having generated strong household ratings and adult 25-54 demos, and offering viewers a fan favorite with Leah as host, People Puzzler has deservedly earned its place on stations’ fall schedules,” said Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein in a statement.

The game pits three contestants in a three-round battle that puts their pop-culture knowledge to the test. The contestant who completes the three rounds with the most points moves into the “Fast Puzzle Bonus Round” for a chance to win cash.

People Puzzler is one of three new game shows that are coming to syndication this fall. Joining it are Fox's Person, Place or Thing, hosted by Melissa Peterman, and TMZ's Who the Bleep Is That? 

People Puzzler is produced by Game Show Enterprises, Start Entertainment and People, a Dotdash Meredith brand. Remini executive produces along with Rane Laymance, Scott St. John and Neal Konstantini for Start Entertainment, and Rachel Feinberg for Dotdash Meredith.  

The Conners will be distributed globally, across platforms and in syndication by Lionsgate and its syndication-focused subsidiary Debmar-Mercury in partnership with series producer Werner Entertainment, the companies said Wednesday.

Lionsgate Worldwide Television Distribution Group will handle global distribution of the ABC sitcom, as well as to subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), advertising-supported VOD, basic cable and free ad-supported television (FAST) platforms. Debmar-Mercury will distribute the series in domestic syndication. The deal covers all five seasons of the series as well as rights to future seasons with ABC maintaining its first-window rights.

The Conners is expected to debut in domestic syndication in fall 2024. While Debmar-Mercury and Lionsgate are distributing this show, production entity Carsey-Werner — launched by Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner — still distributes many of the shows it has produced over the years.

The Conners stars Sara Gilbert, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Lecy Goranson and is a spinoff of ABC’s hit sitcom Roseanne, which was produced and is still distributed by Carsey-Werner, aired from 1988 to 1997, and made Roseanne Barr a household name. The show began as a revival of Roseanne in 2018 but was canceled after Barr sent out a volley of tweets considered to be racist. Barr was then fired, with her character written out and the show retitled. 

The Conners returns to ABC later this year — depending on when the writers’ and actors’ strikes are resolved — for season six. Nearly 5 million people watched the season-five series finale. 

“This agreement shows Lionsgate’s ability to marshal all of its resources, combining the strength and prowess of our global distribution with Debmar-Mercury’s unparalleled syndication expertise in support of a remarkable brand and series,” Lionsgate president of worldwide television distribution Jim Packer said in a statement.

“In the tradition of some of the most successful, longest-running multi-cam sitcoms, The Conners promises to be a great addition to TV stations lineups, and will offer a proven competitive advantage to broadcasters for years to come,” Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus said, also in a statement.  

The deal was negotiated by Packer, Bernstein and Marcus for the studio, and UTA and Jackoway Austen on behalf of Werner Entertainment.   

Sherri has promoted Fernita Wynn to executive producer and showrunner of Debmar-Mercury’s rookie daytime talker ahead of season two, the company said Wednesday. In addition, Joelle Dawson-Calia has been moved up to EP of Sherri while Siobhan Schanda and Dan Fitzpatrick are now co-EPs. 

All four will work along show host and EP Sherri Shepherd and her producing partner and EP, Jawn Murray, as the show heads into season two starting September 18. The first season of Sherri wraps on Friday.

Wynn and Dawson-Calia previously served as co-executive producers, while Schanda and Fitzpatrick were senior supervising producer and supervising producer, respectively. 

Sherri has been renewed for two more seasons by its launch group, the Fox Television Stations, through the 2024-25 season. It’s sold in 98% of the country for next season on Sinclair, Nexstar Media Group, Cox Media Group and more station groups. Sherri, which was conceived when Shepherd became a fan favorite as a guest host of Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, is produced at New York’s Chelsea Studios in front of a live studio audience.                    

“I’m thrilled to have Fernita Wynn promoted to executive producer and showrunner and lead the production team at Sherri for season two,“ Shepherd said in a statement. “I’m also happy to announce the elevation of Joelle Dawson, Siobhan Schanda and Dan Fitzpatrick, who will work alongside Jawn Murray and me as we continue to bring our ‘good time’ to daytime. I’m grateful for this rock star TV team that helped make the first season of Sherri a success and the No. 1 new talk show in daytime. Expect the unexpected as we embark on our second season!”

In the week ended May 29, Sherri averaged a 0.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, and a 0.3 in syndication’s key demographic of women 25-54.

Family Feud has been renewed for three more seasons, taking the syndicated game show through the 2025-26 TV season, on such station groups as Fox Television Stations, CBS Stations, Nexstar Media Group, E.W. Scripps and Tegna. The renewal will take the Steve Harvey-led game show into its 50th year on television.

“Demand for a proven demo and household ratings winner like Family Feud has been intense,“ Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement. “We are extremely pleased to be able to continue our long-term relationships with our incredible broadcast partners, while providing our dedicated viewers of all ages with much-needed laughter and enjoyment throughout the coming years.”

Also: Smaller Audiences Force New Ideas in Syndication

In the week ended January 22, Family Feud was the third-highest-rated show in syndication at a season-high 5.1 live-plus-same-day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. That made it one of only three shows in syndication — along with CBS Media Ventures’s Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune ± to surpass a 5.0 household rating. Family Feud also led all of syndication in the key women 25-54 demographic at a 1.6.

“We are thrilled to have the confidence and commitment from our station partners toward Family Feud,” Fremantle senior VP, current programming Kim Kleid said, also in a statement. “Feud is a timeless format, not only in the U.S. but globally, and with the unmatched talent of Steve Harvey it is easy to see why the audience tunes in and enjoys it on a daily basis.”     

Family Feud joins the raft of other renewals that have happened recently, including a five-year renewal for Wheel and Jeopardy! on the ABC Owned Stations, a two-year renewal for Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, a one-year renewal for Warner Bros.’s Jennifer Hudson and Tuesday’s pickup of five Fox First Run shows for another season. ■

In the wake of the third year without a NATPE Market and Conference, syndicators and station groups gathered at the Fox lot in Los Angeles last week at an event initiated by Fox. 

The off-the-record two-day event, called The Summit, was supported by other major distributors, including Debmar-Mercury, CBS Media Ventures, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. Discovery, and was attended by station group executives from such groups as Sinclair Broadcast Group, Fox Television Stations, CBS News & Stations, NBCUniversal Local, Weigel Broadcasting, Nexstar Media Group, Scripps, Tegna, Standard Media, Cox Media Group, Hearst Television and more. 

Unlike NATPE, the event was solely dedicated to issues faced by syndicators — who develop, produce and sell syndicated programming — and their TV-station buyers. In recent years, NATPE had expanded to include content producers and buyers both domestically and globally since the waning syndication business did not throw off enough revenue to support an entire conference. 

“For me, the event was narrow in a really good way,“ Mort Marcus, co-president, Debmar-Mercury, said. “The only people who were there were people we wanted to talk to. I was on a panel and the people in the audience were broadcasters who would stand up and ask questions. We had healthy and collaborative industry discussions on both days.”

During the course of the event, the executives in attendance had frank discussions about such topics as exclusivity, multiplatform distribution, programming costs and other factors.

“There’s a tension between the station groups and the syndicators,” said Stephen Brown, executive VP, programming and development, Fox Television Stations and Fox First Run. “The syndicators need to find revenue sources to cover the deficits in advertising revenues, while the stations are saying, ‘We are giving you valuable time and, in some cases, money, so we want to have some kind of exclusivity.’ There’s a natural tension there but that can be worked out. We had the beginnings of conversations in the open that we normally don’t have.”

Fox et al were so happy with the event and the frank conversations it encouraged that they hope to hold it again next year and expand it. 

“I think it went really well and I’d like to continue doing it,” Steve LoCascio, president, CBS Media Ventures, said. “We need to trust each other and we need to try something different. The half-hour format for Drew was really different and partnering with Fox on Pictionary was another example.” 

Whether syndicators and station group executives will attend such an event rather than a rebooted NATPE under new ownership remains to be seen. In January, Canadian company Brunico Communications, which produces such events as the Realscreen and Kidscreen Summits and the Banff World Media Festival, announced it had acquired the assets of the bankrupt association, reportedly for $150,000 plus outstanding debt. Brunico has said it plans to run NATPE Budapest in June and then bring NATPE back next January. ■

Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, has been renewed through the 2024-25 TV season on its launch group, the Fox Television Stations, as well as on the Cox Media, Sinclair and Nexstar station groups. Sherri is produced by Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, which produced the rookie daytime talker’s predecessor, Wendy Williams.

“I am so thrilled that Sherri has been renewed for two more years,” said Shepherd in a statement. “I launched this show with the mission to give daytime viewers a 'good time,' just like my theme song says. I am so appreciative that Fox and Debmar-Mercury have partnered with me to continue bringing more laughter, joy and inspiration to my audience."

Shepherd guest-hosted Wendy Williams during the 2021-22 TV season when Williams had to sit out due to health problems, and ultimately could not return. Shepherd was an immediate hit with viewers, causing Debmar-Mercury and Fox to both express early interest in developing a talk show with her.

Sherri premiered this fall, occupying Wendy Williams's former time slots across many Fox-owned stations in top markets. 

“In success, the hour leading out of AM news can act as a springboard for a station’s entire daytime, and it’s not easy to find the right fit. Sherri’s mix of professionalism and competitive strength has been a great fit for us, so we’re happy to be bringing her program back," said Frank Cicha, executive VP, programming, Fox Television Stations, also in a statement.

Sherri was initially sold to TV stations in a one-year deal, but in a crowded environment in which stability is the only way viewers can find a show and make it a habit to watch, it makes sense to renew for longer terms when possible. 

“We initially sold Sherri for one year based on our strong belief that this extraordinarily talented host would be successful and her show would become a long-term talk franchise,” Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus said. “Our thanks go to our good friends and longtime partners at Fox, who shared in our enthusiasm and have renewed their faith in Sherri with this long-term commitment.”

Sherri, which has been averaging a 0.7 live-plus-same-day national household rating for most of this season, according to Nielsen, is cleared in 98% of the U.S. The show is shot before a live studio audience at New York’s Chelsea Studios.

Sherri joins Jennifer Hudson as the first two new syndicated shows this season to earn renewals. Fox is also expected to pick up CBS’s new game show, Pictionary, for another season. Still waiting for their pickup papers are NBCUniversal’s Karamo, starring Karamo Brown, and Trifecta’s iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas, the host of which just took a nightly gig at Nexstar’s NewsNation. Allen Media Group’s We the People with Judge Lauren Lake is highly likely to return because Allen rarely cancels its syndicated programs, extracting value out of its court shows by airing them in blocks, selling ads across those blocks and putting them on auxiliary platforms owned by Allen.

Because most, if not all, of this year’s rookie shows are expected to be renewed, new development is looking slim for next year. That said, Allen Media Group plans to launch its seventh court show, Equal Justice with Judge Eboni K. Williams; Debmar-Mercury is offering off-Game Show Network People Puzzler, hosted by Leah Remini; and PPI Releasing is shopping Michaela, a Canadian talk show starring former Good Day LA host Michaela Pereira. ■

Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury will offer Game Show Network’s People Puzzler, hosted by Leah Remini, to TV stations for a fall 2023 debut, the company said Thursday. 

Debmar-Mercury is distributing 325 episodes of the game show that combines pop culture with fun facts as a back-to-back Monday-Friday strip. People Puzzler will be sold on an all-barter basis, with the syndicator splitting national advertising time with stations. 

People Puzzler, which is based on the pop culture-themed crossword puzzles featured in People Magazine, returned for a third season in August. In the show, three contestants are pitted against each other in a three-round battle of pop-culture prowess. The contestant with the most points at the end of the three rounds then moves to the final “Fast Puzzle Bonus Round,” where they play to win a cash prize.

People Puzzler  is produced by Game Show Enterprises, Start Entertainment and People’s parent company, Dotdash Meredith.

“The biggest ingredients needed for success in television today are high brand awareness and proven talent.  With People and Leah Remini, whose audience favorability ratings are through the roof, we have an abundance of both,” Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement. “We believe People’s Puzzler’s proven ad-friendly format, strong household and adult 25-54 demo performance will attract an entirely new audience to broadcast, while giving stations a tested alternative to pair with originals in this dominant syndication programming genre.”

People Puzzler joins Allen Media Group’s Equal Justice with Judge Eboni K. Williams in the syndication class of 2023, which is expected to be otherwise light on new offerings. 

People Puzzler is a production of Game Show Enterprises. Rane Laymance executive produces along with Scott St. John and Neal Konstantini for Start Entertainment; Rachel Feinberg for Dotdash Meredith and Remini.

New daytime stars Jennifer Hudson and Sherri Shepherd both premiered their new talk shows on Monday, tying at a 0.8 rating/4 share weighted metered market average for their primary runs, according to Nielsen. Warner Bros.' Jennifer Hudson came in 33% ahead of last year’s average performance, while Debmar-Mercury's Sherri equaled its year-ago time period average.

The two shows run back-to-back in seven of the top nine markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. In many Fox-owned markets, Jennifer Hudson took over the time slots of Debmar-Mercury’s concluded Nick Cannon, while Sherri stepped in for the Lionsgate-owned syndicator’s ended Wendy Williams. Shepherd was a frequent guest host for Williams as Williams sat out her show’s final year due to illness.

Most of syndication was flat to down in the session ending Sept. 4, thanks largely to early Labor Day weekend getaways and, to a lesser extent, college football preemptions on Fox.

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson was the only talker of the 14 nationally rated veterans to improve week to week, finishing 14% higher at a five-week high of 0.8 live plus same day national household rating. Most shows, including Clarkson, had not yet begun their new seasons.

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan and CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil remained tied at the top of the talkers for a second week at a 1.4. Live has now been first or tied for first with Dr. Phil for 15 straight weeks. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6. 

Warner Bros.’ departing Ellen DeGeneres, which aired its final new episode in May, maintained a 0.7. Disney’s Tamron Hall, which rolled out its fourth season September 6 with a month of episodes featuring gifts and giveaways, held its ground at a 0.6.

NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, CBS’ Rachael Ray and repeats of NBCU’s Maury stayed at a 0.6 to tie Tamron. The exiting Wendy Williams, CBS’ renewed Drew Barrymore and encores of NBCU’s Jerry Springer all were all on par with the prior week’s 0.5, 0.4 and 0.3, respectively.

Three concluding talkers –  Nick Cannon, Warner Bros.’ The Real and CBS’ The Doctors -- tied at a 0.2, with Cannon down 33% and Warner Bros’ The Real and CBS’ The Doctors steady for the 13 and 78th straight weeks, respectively. 

Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud, which was dinged by football on Fox, fizzled 6% to a 4.9 but still captured the category and syndication lead for a fifth consecutive week. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune remained flat at its season-low 4.1 for the fourth straight week. CBS’ Jeopardy dipped 5% to a 4.0 to fall to third place behind Wheel.  

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s 25 Words or Less, which stayed put for the tenth straight week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask attained a 0.4 for the ninth straight week. 

CBS’ magazine leader Inside Edition elicited a 2.0 for the third consecutive week, while sister show Entertainment Tonight spiked 6% to a 1.9. NBCU’s Access Hollywood regained its top three status with a 17% surge to a 0.7. Fox’s TMZ fell 14% to a 0.6. Warner Bros.’ Extra was one of the shows most heavily penalized by college football on Fox on September 1, getting hit with a 17% loss to a 0.5. CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV dropped 20% to a 0.4. Fox’s Dish Nation totaled a 0.2 for the 22nd straight week.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute managed to stay at a 0.5 for the sixth consecutive week.

Evergreen episodes of CBS’ Judge Judy forged ahead 5% to a 4.4, making Judy syndication’s second-highest-rated show overall, behind Family Feud.

CBS’ Hot Bench, syndication’s second highest court, climbed 8% to a five-week-high 1.3. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court was third, strengthening 17% to a 0.7. Fox’s Divorce Court, Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis, NBCU’s concluding Judge Jerry, and Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice were all steady at a 0.5, 0.5, 0.4 and 0.3, respectively.

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory contracted 10% to a 1.8 but remained the off-network sitcom leader. Disney’s Last Man Standing slipped 9% to a 1.0. Sony’s The Goldbergs, Disney’s Family Guy and Modern Family, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men and Young Sheldon and Sony’s Seinfeld all stalled at a 0.7, 0.7, 0.7, 0.7, 0.7 and a 0.6, respectively. Finally, Warner Bros.’ Mike & Molly and Mom and Disney’s’ Black-ish all broke even at a 0.4 for the fourth straight week. ■

Family Feud tied Jeopardy! for the top spot among the games and all of syndication in the session ending July 17.

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey, spiked 6% to a five-week high 5.1 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, while CBS Media Ventures’ Jeopardy!, which had led in four of the past five weeks, answered with a 4% gain to its own five-week high. Family Feud also led, per usual, among syndication’s key demographic of women 25-54 at a 1.7, an increase of 13% compared to the prior week.

CBS’ Wheel of Fortune recovered 7% from a season low to a 4.5.

Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno lost 13% to a 0.7, tying Fox’s 25 Words or Less, starring and executive produced by Meredith Vieira, which stayed put for a third straight week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask answered with a flat 0.4.

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute mustered a 0.5 for the seventh week in a row.

All of the magazines remained in place with CBS’ Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight, NBCUniversal’s Access Hollywood, Fox’s TMZ, Warner Bros.’ Extra, CBS’ canceled DailyMailTV and Fox’s Dish Nation all steady at a 2.0, 1.8, 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively.

Compared to last year at this time, all of the magazines were down except for TMZ and Extra, both of which were even with last year. 

In daytime, most shows on network affiliates were stymied by preemptions on July 12 for coverage of Congressional hearings on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. As a result, only one of the 15 talk shows gained ground from the prior week: CBS’ Dr. Phil, which improved 8% to a 1.4, despite being in repeats. Phil returned to a tie for first place in talk with Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, which relinquished 7%. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led at a 0.5.

NBCU’s Kelly Clarkson, CBS’ Rachael Ray, NBCU’s out-of-production Maury, Disney’s Tamron Hall, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos and Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres and Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams, both of which have ended their original runs, were all steady at a 0.7, 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.6, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively.

CBS’ Drew Barrymore gave back 20% to a 0.4. Already cooked portions of Sony’s The Good Dish, repeats of NBCU’s Jerry Springer, and Fox’s canceled Nick Cannon all continued to serve up a 0.3. Completing the category, reruns of Warner Bros.’ The Real and CBS’ The Doctors, neither of which will be returning, registered a 0.2. That marked the sixth consecutive week at that level for The Real and a 71st straight week for The Doctors.

Repeats of CBS’ Judge Judy led the courts and ranked fourth on the overall syndication chart at a steady 4.3. 

CBS’ Hot Bench backtracked 8% to a second-place 1.2. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis both remained at a 0.7 and a 0.5, respectively. Fox’s Divorce Court crumbled 20% to a 0.4, tying NBCU’s canceled Judge Jerry, which stayed put for the 23rd consecutive week. Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice tailed off 25% to a 0.3.  

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory shot up 6% to a 1.9. Disney’s Last Man Standing slumped 9% to a 1.0, matching its series low. Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon, Disney’s Modern Family, Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, Sony’s The Goldbergs, Disney’s Family Guy, Sony’s Seinfeld and Disney’s Black-ish all broke even at a 0.8, 0.7, 0.7, 0.7, 0.6, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively. Finally, Warner Bros.’ Mom added 25% to tie Disney’s Black-ish at a 0.5. ■

Sherri, Debmar-Mercury’s new talk strip starring Sherri Shepherd, will premiere in national syndication on Monday, Sept. 12, the Lionsgate-owned company said Tuesday. Sherri is cleared in more than 97% of the U.S. ahead of its debut.

Sherri, which replaces Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams in many time slots across the country, is sold to stations owned by Cox Media Group, Hearst Television, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar Media Group and others.  Fox is the show’s anchor group with stations in the top three markets: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Shepherd, who served as a panelist on ABC’s The View, has been a popular guest host on Wendy Williams this season after Williams had to sit out due to health problems. It was ultimately determined that Williams would not be able to return and Wendy has concluded after 13 seasons. Repeats of Wendy will air all summer until Sherri debuts this fall. 

“Sept. 12 can't get here fast enough,“ Shepherd said in a statement. “Hosting my own talk show is a dream come true and I'm so excited to take viewers on this joyous journey. My new show will be something truly fun and fresh, a daily hour of entertainment escapism with plenty of laughter, fun and flirtiness as I give my take on pop culture. And I'm so glad to have such an awesome senior production team helping to make this magic a reality.” 

Sherri will be shot in front of a live studio audience at New York’s Chelsea Studios and be executive-produced by David Perler, who also executive-produced Wendy. Other executive producers include Shepherd and her producing partner Jawn Murray with Suzanne Bass, Joelle Dawson and Fernita Wynn joining as co-executive producers. 

“Sherri is a great fit for the daytime audience because she relates to people in such a natural way,“ Perler said. ”Having worn so many hats over the years between her career, motherhood, her fitness journey and other accomplishments, Sherri brings a mix of fun, laughter and valuable, authentic advice to viewers.” 

Warner Bros.’s Jennifer Hudson, which has Fox as its anchor group as well, is also debuting on Sept. 12. ■

Nick Cannon – a daytime talk show starring the Masked Singer host, Wild N' Out creator and syndicated radio deejay – will not return after its rookie season, sources said Thursday. 

Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, which produces the show, planned to tell Nick Cannon’s crew Thursday that it would be the show’s last day of production. The crew had expected to take a five-week production hiatus and then return. They will still be paid for several weeks of work even though production has concluded, sources said. Original episodes of Nick Cannon will air through May and then the show will go into repeats through the summer.

"It’s never easy to cancel a production with clear potential but, after a great deal of deliberation and examining various options, we have made the difficult business decision to end production on Nick Cannon," Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement provided to B&C. "We plan to offer viewers original episodes of the daytime talk show through the remainder of this season. Our thanks go to the very talented Nick Cannon and our wonderful production team, and we wish Nick continued success with his many hit ventures."

After delaying its launch for one year due to the pandemic and other issues, Nick Cannon finally debuted in September. The show opened at a 0.4 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, and never grew from there. 

It’s been a roller-coaster season for the Fox Television Stations, which served as Nick's launch group. Fox is also the major group behind Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams and carried Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz in several markets.

Wendy Williams was never able to return to her eponymous talker this season after going out on an extended medical leave that has evolved into a messy financial battle that’s playing out in the tabloids. As a result, Wendy Williams has been led by guest hosts all season. Two weeks ago, Debmar-Mercury announced it was canceling Wendy Williams and replacing it with a new show, Sherri, starring Wendy guest host and former View panelist Sherri Shepherd. That show premieres this fall.

Also: Sherri Shepherd's 'Sherri' to Replace 'Wendy Williams'

Last week, Fox announced it was picking up Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson, starring the Oscar and Grammy winner. Where that show will run on Fox stations is  not yet determined, but there will now be open slots that had been held by Nick Cannon as well as slots held by Warner Bros.' The Real, which is also expected to end.

Also: 'Jennifer Hudson' to Debut in Syndication This Fall

In November, Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of Dr. Oz, said he was running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican in Pennsylvania, a decision that forced that show to end abruptly. Sony scrambled to mount The Good Dish, which had been airing as a segment in Dr. Oz for several years. The team behind Dr. Oz managed to turn it around quickly, and The Good Dish premiered in syndication on Monday, January 17, after the conclusion of Dr. Oz on Friday, January 14. The Good Dish didn't rise to the occasion -- hovering at around a 0.4 household rating, below Dr. Oz -- and it will not return to syndication after this season. Sony would like to find a home for it on another platform.

Also: 'The Good Dish' Serves Up Fresh Fare in Daytime

Nick Cannon seemed like a good fit for the Fox Television Stations, especially considering Cannon’s role as host of Fox’s highest-rated entertainment series, The Masked Singer. Nick Cannon was supposed to debut in syndication in fall 2020, but the pandemic forced a delay. In addition, the show was nearly scrapped in summer 2020 after Cannon made anti-semitic comments on an episode of his podcast, “Cannon’s Class,” that featured Public Enemy’s Richard “Professor Griff” Griffin. However, Cannon went on an “apology tour” and largely rehabilitated his image. 

Cannon continues to host The Masked Singer and sketch-comedy series Wild N’ Out on MTV. He also hosts a nationally syndicated radio show that airs on Power 106 in Los Angeles and on stations around the country.

Nick Cannon is shot on a soundstage at historic 106th and Park in Harlem. The show is produced by Debmar-Mercury, with Katy Murphy Davis and Matt Strauss serving as showrunners. 

Sherri Shepherd this fall will host Sherri, a new daytime talk show that will launch in Wendy Williams’ time slots on the Fox Television Stations and be produced and distributed by Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury. 

Shepherd has been one of a rotating panel of guest hosts on Wendy Williams this season, with that show’s host sidelined due to medical issues. Williams' publicist has stated that she will not be able to return to the show this season.

TV stations have allowed Debmar-Mercury to sub in guest hosts, and the show’s ratings haven’t fallen that dramatically in Williams’ absence, but at a point Debmar-Mercury needed to make a decision about what was going to happen with the show going forward. Shepherd has earned the highest ratings of any guest host, including Leah Remini, Whitney Cummings, Michael Rapaport and others, according to Debmar-Mercury.

Also: 'Wendy Williams' Slates Full Month of Guest Hosts for January

“Sherri is a natural who proved her hosting skills for many years as a panelist on The View, on Fox’s Dish Nation and again this season as a popular guest host of Wendy,” Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said in a statement. “Like our viewers, we have been impressed by the unique comedic twist Sherri puts on our daily live ‘Hot Topics’ segment, her creativity and interactions with our guests. Her love for the content and daytime fans is obvious, and we are excited to partner with her to create another long-term talk franchise.” 

“This is also a bitter-sweet moment for us and our partners at Fox,” Marcus and Bernstein continued. “We all have a great love and affinity for Wendy, who grew into a true icon during her 12 incredible seasons as the solo host of a live, daily talk show dishing on ‘Hot Topics’ and interviewing celebrities. Since Wendy is still not available to host the show as she continues on her road to recovery, we believe it is best for our fans, stations and advertising partners to start making this transition now. We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery.” 

Should Williams return to full health and want to come back, Debmar-Mercury would be interested in working with her again to relaunch the show. In the meantime, however, the company is going forward with Sherri. 

Fox, which has served as Wendy Williams’ most important station group since the show sprang to life in a 2008 summer test, also was happy with the choice of Shepherd to inherit Williams’ talk mantle. 

“First of all, thanks to Debmar-Mercury for navigating through an extremely trying situation and providing stations with first-run programming throughout. Secondly, Sherri is the perfect choice for this. Her appeal to our audience is clear, plus she’s already a member of the Fox Television Stations family as host of Dish Nation,” Frank Cicha, executive VP, programming, Fox Television Stations, said, also in a statement.

Shepherd, who also co-hosts Dish Nation on the Fox Television Stations, will executive produce Sherri alongside her producing partner – media personality and producer Jawn Murray – and David Perler, who will continue in the executive producer and showrunner role he has held for the past 12 of Wendy’s 13 seasons. 

“I am so excited to have my dream come true and debut my very own talk show Sherri in the fall. I can't wait until I return to New York to host the show and merge everything I love...pop culture, talk, entertainment and comedy,” Shepherd said in a statement. 

Actress, comedian and best-selling author Shepherd served as a co-host of ABC’s The View for eight seasons from 2007-14. She currently can be seen in HBO Max’s Sex Lives of College Girls and recently starred in Lifetime movie Imperfect High. She also co-starred in Netflix’s comedy Mr. Iglesias, and was a recurring guest star on ABC’s Call Your Mother. She played the first African-American evil stepmother in Cinderella on Broadway in 2014 and also had a recurring role on NBC’s 30 Rock as Tracy Jordan’s wife, Angie. ■

Caught in Providence, a court show from Lionsgate‘s Debmar-Mercury, has been renewed for a second season in primetime by Law&Crime Network.

The series, which stars 85-year-old Providence Municipal Court Chief Judge Frank Caprio, is shot live in Caprio‘s Providence, Rhode Island, courtroom and features real people taking part in real cases. Caught in Providence, which got its start as a YouTube channel and then went into national broadcast syndication before moving to cable, is shot live in Caprio’s Rhode Island municipal courtroom. 

“Law&Crime is thrilled to continue bringing Caught In Providence and Judge Frank Caprio to its viewers,” Andrew Eisbrouch, chief operating officer of Law&Crime, said in a statement. “Audiences love the show’s combination of heartwarming moments and humor, and they are looking forward to seeing more.”

“We share Andrew’s sentiment about this beloved judge, and are excited to continue our relationship with the Law&Crime Network on this inspiring and entertaining show,” Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus said, also in a statement.

Caught In Providence comes to Law&Crime with more than 13 million Facebook and 2 million YouTube followers. It first premiered on the cable network created by former ABC legal analyst Dan Abrams and backed by A&E Networks in November 2020. 

Law&Crime is available on basic cable packages in most states in the country and on leading OTT services including YouTube TV, Sling TV, Peacock, fuboTV, Philo, Vidgo, Xfinity, Xumo and TV Plus, among many others.

Viewers can watch Caught in Providence on Law&Crime Network Monday through Friday, with back-to-back half-hour episodes from  8-9 p.m. (ET). 

The Wendy Williams Show had to replace one scheduled guest host with another as Sherri Shepherd was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy on Sunday. Comedian and actor Michael Rapoport, who is starring in Hulu’s upcoming comedy Life & Beth, stepped in at the last minute.

The show announced the switch Monday morning when viewers tuned in, possibly expecting Shepherd, only to find Rapaport. Shepherd had been scheduled to guest host all week. Shepherd also is slated to guest host the last week of January.

Debmar-Mercury’s Wendy Williams has been emceed by guest hosts all season long due to Williams’ extended medical absence due to complications from Grave’s disease, according to the show. Wendy Williams’ season-13 premiere was delayed by one month and finally returned on Oct. 18.

In the two months that the show has been back on the air in originals, Shepherd, Rapaport, Whitney Cummings, Leah Remini and Michelle Visage, Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos, Bill Bellamy, the hip-hop duo of Fat Joe and Remy Ma, and more have sat in for Williams. In January, Kym Whitley and Finesse Mitchell will take a stint with Rapaport and Shepherd returning.

Also: ‘Wendy Williams’ Slates Full Month of Guest Host for January

Wendy Williams is on holiday hiatus from Dec. 20 - Dec. 31, returning with live, original episodes guest-hosted by Fat Joe and Remy Ma on Monday, Jan. 3. In the Thanksgiving week ended Nov. 28, Wendy Williams averaged a 0.7 live plus same day national household rating, down 13% from the prior week.◾

The Wendy Williams Show will stick with guest hosts when the syndicated daytime talker returns with new episodes in the new year, said executive producer David Perler on Wednesday. 

The Debmar-Mercury-produced talker delayed its season-13 premiere for a month while its titular host was out on extended medical leave, however, Williams has not been able to come back so far this season. She was recently seen leaving a wellness center in Miami.

The Wendy Williams Show will be on hiatus from Dec. 20 - Dec. 31 over the Christmas holidays.

“We’re looking forward to producing new and exciting shows in 2022 and we can’t wait to return in the new year with all of our guest hosts,” said Perler in a statement. “Each of the outstanding guest hosts brings a unique and distinctive style to the successful Wendy format with their individual personalities while also making sure that Wendy’s show remains consistent for the loyal Wendy watchers.”

Also: Sherri Shepherd Returns to Guest Host 'Wendy Williams'

Hip-hop duo Fat Joe and Remy Ma, who just hosted over Thanksgiving week, will kick off the first week of the year. 

That’s followed by the return of actor and comedian Michael Rapaport, who guest hosts from Jan. 10-14 after previously hosting October. 

Comedians and actors Kym Whitley, who appeared on The Parkers and other TV shows, and Finesse Mitchell, formerly of Saturday Night Live, take the reins Jan. 17-21. 

And former View panelist and current Dish Nation host Sherri Shepherd, who hosted in October and again in December, returns to close out the month from Jan. 24-28. ■

Sherri Shepherd, host of Fox’s Dish Nation and former panelist on ABC’s The View, is returning to guest host Debmar-Mercury’s The Wendy Williams Show from Monday, Dec. 13 through Friday, Dec. 17, the Lionsgate-owned company said Tuesday. The following week the show will go on a planned holiday hiatus.

During Shepherd’s previous stint as guest host in the week ended Nov. 7, the show’s ratings climbed 13% to a 0.9 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research, tying Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres and NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson for third place among daytime syndicated talk shows. 

“Sherri is a great fit for the show and she engages with our viewers with her relatable conversations and unique point of view on the hottest topics,” Executive Producer David Perler said in a statement.  “We’re very happy to welcome her back and can’t wait to see what she’ll bring to our viewers and station partners this time around!” 

“I had so much fun the first time around, I can’t wait to come back to play again,” Shepherd said, also in a statement. “I was thrilled to learn that my hosting week in November was so well received by the loyal viewers of this show. It’s not easy to do what Wendy has successfully done for so many years.  I am grateful to Wendy, the entire Wendy Williams team and Wendy’s fans for trusting me to host for another week. It’s been a dream come true, and I can’t wait to bring back my brand of flirty-fun, fabulous guests and feel-good excitement when I return in December.”

Also: Leah Remini, Michelle Visage to Co-Host ‘Wendy Williams’ for Two Weeks

Wendy Williams has been hosted by an array of guest hosts since the show returned for its season-13 premiere on Oct. 18 without the show’s host, who remains out on extended medical leave. These hosts have included Leah Remini and Michelle Visage, who return next week and co-host through Dec. 10, comedian Whitney Cummings, and this holiday week’s hosts, hip-hop duo of Fat Joe and Remy Ma. ■

Leah Remini and Michelle Visage are returning to guest co-host Debmar-Mercury’s The Wendy Williams Show for two weeks, starting Nov. 29 and running through Friday, Dec. 10. 

Williams remains out on extended medical leave after delaying the premiere of the show’s 13th season for a month. The show finally started its new season on Monday, Oct. 18 and since then an array of guest panels and hosts have been filling in. Remini and Visage did their first stint on Williams’ purple couch in the show’s first week back on the air.

“Leah and Michelle's girlfriend relationship is authentic and a joy to watch,” said Wendy Williams executive producer David Perler in a statement. “We are thrilled to be able to give our viewers another two weeks with them co-hosting Wendy as viewers will feel like they are sitting at the kitchen table with their best girlfriends having their morning coffee.  Leah worked very hard to respect what Wendy has built and also brings a special style of her own to Wendy’s audience.”

Also: Fat Joe, Remy Ma to Guest Host ‘Wendy Williams’ Ahead of Thanksgiving

Actress Remini is best known for starring on CBS primetime comedy The King of Queens and for her documentary series, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which aired on A&E for three seasons from 2016 through 2019. Radio DJ and performer Visage has long worked closely with RuPaul and stars on RuPaul’s Drag Race as well as that show’s many spinoffs. 

“Michelle and I couldn’t be more grateful to Wendy, her amazing crew, Debmar-Mercury and most of all, Wendy’s loyal fans for liking us and for trusting us to have us hold it down until Wendy’s return,” said Remini in a statement.

In the week prior to Thanksgiving, Wendy Williams is being guest-hosted by panel including MTV’s The Challenge: Aftermath’s Devyn Simone, media personality Bevy Smith, Variety chief correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister and comedian Michael Yo on Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, hip-hop duo and friends of the show Fat Joe and Remy Ma are taking on hosting duties. 

Wendy Williams has booked a Monday Hot Topics panel as well as hip-hop icons Fat Joe and Remy Ma to guest host the show in the week of Thanksgiving, the show said Monday.

The Hot Topics panel, which includes MTV’s The Challenge: Aftermath’s Devyn Simone, media personality Bevy Smith, Variety chief correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister and comedian Michael Yo, will take the stage on Monday, Nov. 22. Smith and Wagmeister hosted Fox’s now-defunct syndicated news magazine Page Six TV from 2016-18.

For the remaining two days of that holiday week, hip-hop duo Fat Joe and Remy Ma will take their turn on the purple couch. The pair have appeared on the show several times before with both coming on in 2017 when Remy Ma was feuding with rival rap queen Nicki Minaj.

Wendy Williams, who has hosted the eponymous daytime talker since 2009, has been out all season on extended medical leave after being diagnosed with a breakthrough case of COVID-19 in September. She later was checked in to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. After Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury, which produces the show, delayed its season-13 premiere for a month, Wendy Williams returned with guest hosts on Monday, Oct. 18.

In the week ended Oct. 31, the last week national ratings were available, Wendy Williams was guest-hosted by comedian Whitney Cummings. The show averaged a steady 0.8 in households and tied for fifth place in talk with CBS Media Ventures Rachael Ray and NBCUniversal’s Maury.

Also: Syndication Ratings: ‘Ellen DeGeneres’ Shows Strength in Final Season

The Wendy Williams Show has lined up its next few weeks of guest hosts, with Michael Rapaport, Bill Bellamy, Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos all filling in on the Debmar-Mercury daytime talker.

Host Wendy Williams is out on an extended medical leave that delayed the premiere of her show’s 13th season for nearly a month. The Wendy Williams Show finally debuted with a panel of guest hosts on Monday, Oct. 18, followed by four days of guest hosting by actress Leah Remini. Over the next two weeks, Whitney Cummings and Sherri Shepherd took over for Williams.

Also: Whitney Cummings, Sherri Shepherd Next Up to Guest Host 'Wendy Williams'

Rapaport — actor, comedian and podcast host, who will be starring in Hulu’s upcoming Life & Beth — guest hosts for the week of Nov. 8. A panel will again take over on Monday, Nov. 15, followed by two days of hosting on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and Wednesday, Nov. 17, by comedian Bellamy, who is starring in A Rich Christmas on BET Plus. 

Springer, the longtime star of NBCUniversal’s Jerry Springer and now of NBCU’s court show Judge Jerry, and Wilkos, Springer’s former bouncer and host of his own NBCU talker, The Steve Wilkos Show, will take over on Thursday, Nov. 18 and Friday, Nov. 19.

Also: 'Wendy Williams' Rises as Season 13 Debuts

The Wendy Williams Show saw a 33% increase to a 0.8 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, in the week ended Oct. 24, which included the show’s 13th season premiere hosted by a guest panel.

The Wendy Williams Show returned to first-run production with guest hosts in the week ended Oct. 24 and shot up 33% to a nine-week-high 0.8 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. Wendy Williams jumped into fifth place among the talkers, up from eighth where it had been tied with two other shows.

Debmar-Mercury’s talker opened season 13 with a panel of guest hosts and then four days of shows led by actress Leah Remini as host Wendy Williams continues to be out on medical leave. Sherri Shepherd and Whitney Cummings took on guest-hosting duties in the following weeks.

Also: Whitney Cummings, Sherri Shepherd Next Up to Guest Host ‘Wendy Williams’

Syndicated shows were mostly flat to down during week, after being hit with preemptions for coverage of the death of former US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Oct. 18 as well as competition from seven baseball playoff games on cable. 

Making matters worse, some shows cleared on Sinclair Broadcast stations faced black outs after signals were knocked out due to a group-wide ransomware attack. 

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan and CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil tied to lead talk for a second straight week with both shows staying at a 1.7. Live has now been first or tied for first 50 times in the last 59 weeks, while Phil has been first or tied for first for the past six weeks straight.

Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live and Phil also tied at a 0.6, followed by NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson, Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres, Wendy Williams and NBCU’s Maury, all at a 0.4. 

Kelly and Ellen also finished ahead of Wendy Williams in households, with both shows steady in third place at a 0.9. Kelly matched its season high while Ellen, in its 19th and final season, has grown 125% over the past 11 weeks. Conflict talker Maury deteriorated 13% to a new series-low 0.7, tying CBS’ Rachael Ray, which also retreated 13%. 

Disney’s Tamron Hall declined 14% to a 0.6 after being preempted in some markets, tying Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz, which was flat for a seventh week.

Also: Quiana Burns Replaces Candi Carter on ‘Tamron Hall’

CBS’ Drew Barrymore stayed at a 0.5, tying NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, which weakened 17%.

Debmar-Mercury’s rookie Nick Cannon, which airs on Fox-owned stations in top markets, was constant at a 0.4 in its fourth week.

Also: Nick Cannon to Host Fox’s ‘Good Day’ in Three Markets

NBCU’s out-of-production syndicated version of Jerry Springer scored a 0.3 for the sixth straight week. Warner Bros.’ The Real receded 33% to a new series-low 0.2, tying CBS’ The Doctors, which stayed put for the 34th straight week.

In its first full week without popular player Matt Amodio, CBS’ Jeopardy! dipped 2% to a 5.6, but that was still good enough to keep the access game in the syndication lead. Jeopardy! was buoyed by Jonathan Fisher’s second week of wins. Fisher amassed $246,000 in winnings over an 11-day span before finally losing on Monday, Oct. 25.

Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud, which is often the game and syndication leader, fell 4% to a second-place 5.3, thanks in large part to the Sinclair black outs. 

CBS’ Wheel of Fortune, which is paired with Jeopardy! in many large markets, faded 2% to a 5.0 and third place overall in games and in syndication.

Fox’s rookie You Bet Your Life, with host Jay Leno, rolled a fourth consecutive 0.7, tying Fox’s 25 Words or Less, which stayed put for the sixth straight week. Entertainment Studios’ Funny You Should Ask dropped 25% to a new series-low 0.3. 

Disney’s internet video show RightThisMinute maintained a 0.6 for the 11th consecutive week.

CBS’ Inside Edition continued to hold an edge over the magazines, exposing a 2.2 for the third week in a row. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight eased 5% to a 2.0. NBCU’s Access Hollywood was the only magazine show to move up, improving 14% to a 0.8 and equalling its season high. Fox’s TMZ corralled a 0.7 for an eighth straight week. 

Warner Bros.’ Extra lost its primary run in six of the top seven markets due to Thursday Night Football on Oct. 21 but retained its season-high 0.6. CBS’ DailyMailTV delivered a 0.5 for the seventh time in eight weeks. Fox’s Dish Nation held at a 0.2 for the fourth straight week. 

CBS’ Judge Judy led the courts with a steady 4.6, and despite being in repeats, ranked as syndication’s fourth-highest ranked show. CBS’ Hot Bench gave back 6% to a 1.5. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court climbed 14% to a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis marshalled a 0.6 for the sixth straight week. Fox’s Divorce Court settled for an unchanged 0.4, tying NBCU’s Judge Jerry, which sustained a series-low 0.4 for the sixth consecutive week. Wrigley Media’s rookie Relative Justice decreased 25% to a 0.3 in its second week on the Nielsen national chart. 

Also: ‘Relative Justice’ to Premiere Monday, Sept. 13, in Syndication

Sitcoms were no laughing matter with most of them down or steady. Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory fell to a new series low, losing 5% to a 2.0. Disney’s Last Man Standing stumbled 8% to a new season-low 1.2. Warner Bros.’ rookie Young Sheldon showed up at a 0.8 for the fourth straight week, tying Sony’s The Goldbergs, which was steady for a third consecutive week. Disney’s Family Guy and Modern Family both fell back 13% to a 0.7 tying Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men, which was stable at its series low, and Sony’s Seinfeld. Finally, 2 Broke Girls depreciated 17% to a new series low 0.5, tying Disney’s Black-ish, which stayed put. 

Nick Cannon, host of Debmar-Mercury’s new daytime talker Nick Cannon, is making room in his busy schedule to co-host Fox’s Good Day morning-news programs in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Cannon’s appearances on the shows serves as a multi-promotional effort, incorporating the stations, the morning news programs and the talk show.

On Friday, Oct. 22, Cannon will co-host Good Day New York’s 9 a.m. hour with Rosanna Scotto, who typically hosts the hour solo. On Nov. 2, Cannon will co-host Good Day Philadelphia on Fox’s WTXF Philadelphia with Alex Holley and Mike Jerrick and then on Nov. 16, he’ll join Jeannette Reyes and Wisdom Martin on Fox’s WTTG Washington, D.C. In all cases, Cannon will be live on the Good Day sets.

“I know how important community is and I appreciate all the love that I’m getting locally,” Cannon said in an interview. “I just want to pay it back and show that I understand the importance of connecting with local viewers in a big way.”

Fox’s corporate team only came up with the idea a week ago, and it was quickly put into action through collaboration between Fox; WNYW New York; the talk show’s producers, including Cannon; and Debmar-Mercury.

“You can’t put everyone in that role, but Nick can handle it. He was all in -- he’s very enthusiastic about helping in any way he can,” Frank Cicha, executive VP of programming at Fox Television Stations, said. “You also have to have a lot of cooperation, but we and Debmar-Mercury are always trying to figure out the best way to do things for both of us.”

Nick Cannon debuted on Fox-owned stations in the nation’s largest markets as well as across the country in syndication on Monday, Sept. 27. The show had been sold to launch in fall 2020, but with the pandemic still ongoing, Debmar-Mercury made the decision to pull the show. For several months, Nick Cannon's fate was unclear but ultimately Debmar-Mercury and Fox were able to go forward and launch it this fall. 

Cannon and Scotto shot the below promo for the appearance on stage at The Nick Cannon Show's set at 106 and Park in Harlem at noon on Monday. Fox-owned WNYW New York’s marketing team turned it around to air in the 5 p.m. news that evening.

“I think it’s really great as far as the synergy goes,” Dan Carlin, VP, programming, research and creative services at WNYW/WOR New York, said. “We always try to include our syndicated talent as part of the overall TV station. We want to make sure that the syndicated talent is part of the New York market, especially since Nick Cannon is filmed in Harlem.”

iHeartRadio also is posting about Cannon’s appearance across its social media channels as well as on its New York market homepages for radio stations Power, Q WOR and KTU. And Scotto herself dropped a post on Instagram to let viewers know to tune in.  

While Cannon is starting with Good Day appearances in East Coast markets, his travel schedule means that it’s possible for him to visit affiliates in markets across the country, including his home base of Los Angeles. 

“I’m all in,” he said. “I want to do every single one I can possibly do. I have my music career and stand-up career on the weekends, so I’m connecting with affiliates in those cities weekly. I like to be a man of the community in whatever community I’m in. It’s a great way to really connect. You have to stay in touch and in tune with your audience. What better way to do that than to literally pull up in their market.”

The Wendy Williams Show will fill its season-13 premiere week with guest hosts as its titular host recovers from complications from Graves' disease and thyroid issues, producers of the Debmar-Mercury-produced show said via Instagram. Williams also tested positive with a breakthrough case of COVID-19 last month.

“Wendy continues to be under medical supervision and meets with her medical team on a daily basis. She is making progress but is experiencing serious complications as a direct result of Graves’ disease and her thyroid condition,“ the show‘s social team posted on its Instagram feed. “It has been determined that more time is needed before she is able to return to her live hosting duties.

“Wendy is a valued and stalwart member of the Debmar-Mercury family and has been so for 12 years. We want her health to be her top priority. As soon as she's ready, she will be back in her treasured purple chair.”

On Monday, Oct. 18, Wendy Williams’ season premiere, the show will be hosted by a “Hot Talk” panel including Devyn Simone, host of MTV’s The Challenge: Aftermath, author/actor/media personality Bevy Smith, Variety senior correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister and comedian and actor Michael Yo. Smith and Wagmeister previously hosted Fox’s syndicated Page Six talk show together.

Actress Leah Remini will guest host the program for the rest of the week, marking the first time the actress has sat in the show’s host chair. 

“Wendy’s shoes are hard to fill, so we needed to find the right fit. Leah will bring a lot of fun and energy to our viewers with a few surprises along the way,” said Executive Producer David Perler in a statement.

Wendy Williams had been scheduled to premiere its new season on Monday, Sept. 20, but pushed that date back after Williams' positive COVID test.

Nick Cannon, a new nationally syndicated daytime talk show from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, will premiere Monday, Sept. 27. The show is being produced at NEP Metropolis Studios in Harlem in front of a live studio audience.

Fans can sign up for tickets at NickCannonshow.com. 

Also Read: Live Audiences Slow to Return

Nick Cannon is premiering across the country and on Fox Television Stations in the country’s largest markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. It will include a mix of comedy, celebrity interviews, musical performances and more.

It was sold to stations and expected to premiere last fall, but was delayed due to the difficulties of producing it during the pandemic and after some of Cannon’s anti-Semitic comments surfaced on his YouTube podcast last July. ViacomCBS quickly parted ways with him, cancelling his MTV comedy series, Wild N’ Out. Since then, Cannon has made the rounds to meet with his various corporate partners and to apologize. ViacomCBS brought Wild N’ Out back last February after Cannon met and worked with Jewish leaders. 

Fox stood by Cannon throughout and he remains as host of the network’s top-rated singing competition series, The Masked Singer. Prior to that, he was the host of NBC’s America’s Got Talent for eight seasons. Cannon also hosts and produces a nationally syndicated morning radio show, Nick Cannon Radio.

Cannon executive produces Nick Cannon alongside his manager Michael Goldman along with Katy Murphy Davis, who has worked on Oprah and Facebook’s Red Table Talk, and Matt Strauss, who has worked on The View, Dr. Oz and Katie. 

Nick Cannon will launch this fall on the Fox Television Stations after being postponed last year due to the pandemic, Lionsgate's Debmar-Mercury said on Thursday.

“It’s been a longtime dream of mine to host my own daytime talk show and that I’m able to do this in New York City, bringing daytime television back to the place that has fostered generations of talent, is very special to me,” Cannon said in a statement. “With this show, we’ll be uniting all aspects of entertainment in a unique way in the very place where a lot of what we know today as our culture started.” 

Nick Cannon had been sold as a daytime strip last season, but the show was postponed due to the difficulties of shooting a day-and-date talk show during the pandemic, with all of the COVID-19 safety protocols that required. 

There also was a kerfuffle with Cannon last summer after anti-Semitic comments he made in a conversation with former Public Enemy member Richard Griffin during his podcast, “Cannon’s Class,” rose to the surface. As a result, ViacomCBS, which airs Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out on MTV, fired him, but he apologized to the Jewish community and to his partner companies and that immediately helped rehabilitate him.

Also Read: Nick Cannon Talker Delayed One Year

Throughout, Cannon remained host of Fox’s top-rated entertainment series, The Masked Singer, and that synergy encouraged Fox to pick up Cannon’s talk show for its stations as it had planned to do in fall 2020.

Cannon will executive produce the talker alongside his manager, Michael Goldman, as well as showrunners Katy Murphy Davis (The Oprah Winfrey Show, Red Table Talk) and Matt Strauss  (The View, The Dr. Oz Show, Katie).

Cannon is a multi-faceted performer and entrepreneur. Besides The Masked Singer, he hosted NBC’s America’s Got Talent for eight seasons. He hosts and produces nationally syndicated radio show Nick Cannon Radio. He created, produced and starred in MTV’s Wild ‘N Out for 15 seasons. And he owns and runs a record label, Ncredible Entertainment.

Coming off its record-setting Emmy haul of nine wins and a sweep of the comedy category, Schitt’s Creek is making its debut in broadcast syndication on Monday. The Canadian-produced show, which is sold in all-barter deals for two years, is cleared on Fox-owned stations in the country’s largest markets as well as on stations totaling 95% of the country, including on Sinclair, CBS and CW-Plus-owned stations.

“What begins as a fish-out-of-water story quickly develops into a nuanced love letter to family, delivered with warmth, humanity and perfect comedic timing,” said Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus in a statement. Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury sold the show into domestic broadcast syndication. “With a gifted cast and whip-smart writing, it’s easy to see why Schitt’s Creek appeals to Emmy voters, critics and viewers, and has built a loyal and passionate fan base.”

Over the next two weeks, Schitt’s Creek will begin airing on broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, which promises to grow its already substantial audience. On broadcast stations, the 80-episode series is airing as both a weekday strip and on weekends. Starting Friday, Oct. 2, Schitt’s Creek also has a run on ViacomCBS-owned Comedy Central, with the network stacking five episodes of the series on Friday nights from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET. And the sixth and final season of Schitt’s Creek debuts on Netflix on Wednesday, Oct. 7, so Netflix subscribers will now be able to watch the series in its entirety on that platform.

Related: ‘Schitt’s Creek’: So How Did an Obscure Canadian Sitcom Win Nine Emmys, Anyway?

With sitcoms such as Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory and Disney’s Modern Family aging -- Big Bang premiered in syndication in 2011 and Modern Family in 2013 -- having a new sitcom like Schitt’s Creek promises to freshen up access and late-night line-ups. And all of the buzz surrounding the show after its history-making Emmy night doesn’t hurt. Last week, Debmar-Mercury sent stations an Emmy-focused spot around the show to lift its final week of marketing prior to premiere.

Schitt’s Creek got its start in the U.S. on ViacomCBS’ Pop TV in February 2015 where it slowly grew a following. That following exploded when the show became available on Netflix after season three. That’s also when Debmar-Mercury took it into domestic broadcast syndication to help raise money to keep the show in production.

“We found them enough money to do those extra seasons,” said Marcus, and those seasons made all the difference.

In the meantime, ITV, which owns global distribution rights to the show, had sold it to Netflix and that’s when it found a huge and dedicated audience, driving the show all the way to its Emmy sweep.

Schitt’s Creek stars Eugene Levy as Johnny Rose, a once wealthy video store magnate, with Catherine O’Hara starring as his spoiled and entitled wife, Moira. Their adult children, David (Daniel Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy), are equally entitled, thus the whole family is confused when they suddenly find themselves living in a rundown motel in a remote town they own, Schitt’s Creek.

Schitt’s Creek is produced by Not A Real Company Productions Inc., which was founded by the father-son team of Eugene and Daniel Levy and is now run by Eugene, Daniel and Fred Levy as well as Andrew Barnsley. The series is produced in association with CBC and Pop TV. It’s distributed in domestic broadcast syndication by Debmar-Mercury and internationally by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

Nick Cannon's daytime talker is being delayed one year, according to Lionsgate and its fully owned subsidiary Debmar-Mercury, which is producing and distributing the show.

"The Nick Cannon talk show will not debut this year," the companies said in a statement issued Friday. "After conversations with Nick, we do believe that his public comments don’t reflect his true feelings and his apology is heartfelt and sincere.  We want to continue the healing process as he meets with leaders of the Jewish community and engages in a dialogue with our distribution partners to hear their views.  We are standing by Nick in our hope that by fall 2021 he will be able to use his extraordinary talent and platform to entertain, enlighten and unite his audience on the Nick Cannon talk show.

“Lionsgate and Debmar-Mercury condemn anti-Semitism, racism and hate speech.  It runs counter to everything we stand for.”

Cannon has been under fire for anti-Semitic comments he made on his podcast, Cannon's Class, during a conversation with Richard Griffin, a former member of rap group Public Enemy, who was thrown out of the group after making homophobic and anti-Semitic comments in the late '80s. During the conversation, Cannon said, "It’s never hate speech. You can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people, when we are the same people who they want to be," said Cannon. "That’s our birthright. We are the true Hebrews."

As a result, ViacomCBS ended its deal with him, even though he's had a 15-year relationship with the company via MTV's Wild 'N Out, which was created and is executive produced and hosted by Cannon. Cannon is suing ViacomCBS to maintain ownership of the franchise, from which he has spun off several restaurants.

Cannon later apologized in a lengthy Facebook post, but that hasn't been enough to keep all of his deals intact. 

"I must apologize to my Jewish Brothers and Sisters for putting them in such a painful position, which was never my intention, but I know this whole situation has hurt many people and together we will make it right. I have dedicated my daily efforts to continuing conversations to bring the Jewish community and the African American community closer together, embracing our differences and sharing our commonalities."

Fox said earlier this week that Cannon would continue to host The Masked Singer, however. The Fox TV stations, which are owned by the same company as Fox Broadcasting, were Nick Cannon's main launch group with stations in major markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Katy Murphy Davis and Matt Strauss have been named executive producers and showrunners of Debmar-Mercury’s Nick Cannon, which is slated to debut in national syndication this fall, the Lionsgate-owned company said Thursday. The eponymous show stars Cannon, who also hosts Fox's The Masked Singer and is behind MTV's improv comedy series, Wild N Out, which has spawned a chain of restaurants and a live touring show.

“Nick is such a unique and gifted artist, and Katy and Matt together bring a very broad set of skills to this show that perfectly match Nick’s many interests and talents,” Alexandra Jewett, executive VP of programming for Debmar-Mercury, said in a statement. “Both of them are extraordinarily creative showrunners with unmatched connections in the celebrity, music, comedy and pop culture worlds. Combined with their impressive backgrounds and producing skills, we know Nick will be in very good hands.” 

Nick Cannon, which is cleared on television stations covering more than 95% of the country, was scheduled to premiere Sept. 21 but that date has been pushed back to Oct. 5 due to complications as a result of the pandemic and Cannon’s bi-coastal commitments. Nick Cannon will be produced at the 106th and Park studio in Harlem.

RELATED: Tubi to Stream 'The Masked Singer'

Murphy Davis was senior supervising producer during much of her nearly 20 years at Oprah. She also executive produced Winfrey’s ABC primetime special, Building A Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. She also launched and served on the board of Oprah’s Angel Network (OAN), a public charity that raised and distributed more than $80 million over its 12 years. 

Most recently, she was co-executive producer of Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk, which is hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris.

Strauss joins Nick Cannon from Endeavor Content, where he launched and developed multiple projects.  Previously, he launched and executive produced CBS Television Distribution’s Daily Mail TV, and the successful summer test of Endemol Shine’s Page Six TV. 

Earlier, Strauss co-executive produced and launched The Meredith Vieira Show for NBC Universal Television Distribution, Katie for Disney-ABC Domestic Television and launched The Dr. Oz Show as a supervising producer for Sony Pictures Television and Harpo Productions.  He also played an instrumental role on the launch team of ABC’s The View, eventually serving as coordinating producer.

Cannon and Michael Goldman also serve as executive producers of Nick Cannon, which has been cleared on station groups including Fox, CBS, Sinclair, Hearst, Nexstar, Mission, Cox, Sunbeam, Capitol, Meredith, Tegna, Lockwood and CW Plus.

Wendy Williams, host of Debmar-Mercury’s daytime talker The Wendy Williams Show, is once again taking some time off due to her Graves’ disease. During the pandemic, Williams had been taping episodes from her home titled “Wendy@Home,” but those will go on hiatus and the show will air repeats.

"Recently, Wendy has been dealing with symptoms from her Graves’ disease, which is causing fatigue,” said a show spokeswoman. “In consultation with her doctor and as a precautionary measure, she will be taking some time off as she continues to receive treatment. We look forward to welcoming Wendy back soon and continuing the Wendy@Home shows. More updates on a return date will follow."

In the week ended May 3, Wendy Williams averaged a 1.1 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research, up 10% from the prior week.

Williams first announced that she had been diagnosed with Graves’ disease, a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the thyroid. Williams has taken several hiatuses over the past year and a half or so due to various health and personal issues.

Variety first reported this story.

If you thought live, linear TV was dead, the pandemic is here to prove you wrong.

“I see live television not only doing significantly more ratings points but actually increasing in viewership,” Dawn Abel, executive VP of research at CBS Television Distribution, said.

According to research by CBS Television Distribution based on Nielsen data, the linear TV audience (including broadcast and cable) in the top 10 markets from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the first four weeks of stay-at-home orders (March 16 to April 19) rose 26% to 60.59 million people from a previous four-week average of nearly 48 million.

Comparatively, the streaming audience was much smaller, although it grew by a larger percentage. During those four weeks of quarantine, streaming viewing increased 51% to 13.21 million people compared to 8.76 million people in the prior four weeks.

Those numbers play out across the demographics, including younger viewers, albeit linear viewing is unsurprisingly less among those age groups. Linear viewing among adults 18-34 grew 28% to just over 8 million viewers from 6.27 million in the prior four-week period.

In one of syndication’s key demographics, adults 25-54, people watching linear TV grew 30% to 15.47 million from 11.86 million. Older Americans over the age of 65, of course, watch the most linear TV and that group’s viewership grew to nearly 41 million during the first four weeks of quarantine, up from 34.44 million.

On the streaming side, those results are inverted. Adults 18-34 consume the most media via internet-connected devices — including smartphones, tablets and smart TVs — and their viewership jumped 46% from nearly 3 million to nearly 4.5 million during quarantine. Adults 25-54 weren’t far off of that, with their streaming jumping 45% to 4.63 million viewers from 3.18 million in the prior period. And as expected, adults over 65 made up the smallest group of streamers, with their numbers increasing 25% to just over 2 million from 1.66 million.

And daytime viewership by kids 6-11 and teens 12-17, all of whom are now at home instead of in school, has shot up as much as 300% during the pandemic, according to Nielsen.

Those increased levels of people using television (PUTs) across all platforms and devices have resulted in better ratings for many syndicated shows, and particularly those — like Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan — that have managed to stay largely in originals throughout this time. Live, which has ranked as the No. 1 talker since quarantine began, has improved the most of any talk show, jumping 20% in households to a 2.4 five-week average, and 42% among adults 25-54 to a 0.9.

“We definitely saw initial uptakes in PUT levels with gains of 20% to 30%,” Warner Bros. executive VP media research and insights Liz Huszarik said. “Daytime overall had the greatest gains of any daypart. By weeks four, five, six and seven, things started to soften a point or two a week.”

According to Nielsen, PUT levels peaked in the week ended March 23 with 18.6% of the total available audience tuning in to linear TV, up almost 5% from 13.6% in the prior year. While that number has dropped over the following weeks, by the week of April 27 PUT levels were at 15.9%, compared to 13.4% in the prior year.

Similarly, total levels of TV viewing, which includes streaming, increased significantly in the pandemic’s early week, with the total TV audience hitting 24.6% in the week ended March 23, a nearly 8% gain over last year. By the week ended April 27, that had fallen to 21.2%, up about 5% over last year’s 16.1%.

Game Shows Are Winners

One genre that has particularly benefited from increased overall viewing is game, with Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud and CBS Television Distribution’s Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune all up by double-digit percentages at the top of the syndication ratings chart.

During the first five weeks of the pandemic, Jeopardy! improved by 25% to a 1.9 compared to the prior four weeks among adults 25-54. Similarly, Family Feud improved 16% to a 2.4 and Wheel of Fortune 17% to a 1.8 in that demo. In households, those three shows led all of syndication with Jeopardy! jumping 13% to a five-week average 7.2, Feud adding 15% to a 7.0 and Wheel gaining 7% to a 6.6.

CTD’s stalwart Judge Judy added 2% in households to a 6.4 and 9% to a 2.0 among adults 25-54, even though the show has largely been in repeats throughout the quarantine.

That said, repeats may not matter so much during the pandemic because people who typically don’t watch are tuning in so they don’t know repeat from original: “We’ve seen this also during the holidays, you’ll still get an increase because people are home and they haven’t seen those episodes. Right now, repeat viewing patterns are not typical,” Huszarik said.

Still, the overall PUT gains haven’t necessarily resulted in increased ratings for all shows.

“Not everything is up in terms of the national ratings because of the news preemptions that happen in the local markets,” Huszarik said.

The most recent week of national ratings in the week ended April 26 saw some shows drop to season lows as pre-emptions took over. And some, like CTD’s Dr. Phil and other early fringe shows, have been strongly affected by constant pre-emptions throughout the pandemic, with press conferences largely scheduled for afternoon time slots like 3 and 4 p.m., leading into local news.

Pandemic or no, levels of TV viewing tend to drop when the days get longer and warmer.

“I don’t think it will be a faucet that turns on and off — I think the increased viewing will continue for a while,” Huszarik said. “As we get back to normal, over time you will probably see decreases, but not all at once.”

Debmar-Mercury has acquired the broadcast syndication rights to Pop TV’s Schitt’s Creek, which is created by and stars father and son Eugene and Daniel Levy. Season five of the series, which has been renewed by both Pop and Canada’s CBC, is currently in production.

The Lionsgate-owned company will shop the series to TV stations for a fall 2020 debut.

“It is not every day you can walk into a TV station with a comedy this good, with a cast this talented and be able to point to the kind of ratings growth, social buzz and critical acclaim that Schitt’s Creek has generated,” said Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, co-presidents of Debmar-Mercury, in a statement. “We enter the off-network market as this renewed series is coming off of its highest-rated season in the U.S. and four consecutive seasons of audience growth.”

Related: Pop Renews ‘Schitt’s Creek’

According to Debmar-Mercury, Schitt’s Creek out-delivered its season-one average by 116% in adults 18-49, 76% in adults 25-54 and 81% in total viewers through March 2018. That said, the show’s ratings on Pop TV are very low, with the series averaging a .08 among adults 18-49 and 275,000 viewers in season four, which concluded on April 11.

That can be an advantage when taking a show into syndication because the show hasn’t already been seen by many viewers, so it can serve almost as original programming for TV stations.

Related: Debmar-Mercury to Shop Netflix's 'Bojack Horseman' in Off-Net Syndication

As studios back out of the business of producing first-run programs explicitly for TV stations, and the number of comedies coming off of broadcast networks continues to thin, stations need new ways to program themselves. That said, low-rated shows rarely turn into high-rated shows once they come to syndication.

Schitt’s Creek tells the story of a once-wealthy family who is forced to move to the small town they once bought as a joke. The show stars Eugene Levy, Daniel Levy, Catherine O’Hara and Chris Elliott, alongside breakout stars Annie Murphy and Emily Hampshire.

Commissioned by CBC, Schitt’s Creek is produced by Not A Real Company Productions Inc. and created by Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy. The executive producers are Eugene Levy, Daniel Levy, Andrew Barnsley, Fred Levy, David West Read and Ben Feigin.

Schitt’s Creek is produced in association with CBC and Pop TV, and distributed internationally by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

The ranks of syndicated game shows remains relatively thin, with only five on the docket in the 2017-18 TV season. But the success of Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud — revitalized since comedian Steve Harvey joined as host in 2010 — has encouraged producers to search for the next big comedic game hit. So far, that task has proved difficult.

The Game Show Issue:Finding an Escape in TV Fun and Games | Game On for FremantleMedia’s Mullin

Disney-ABC tried to push Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, now in its 16th season in syndication, toward comedy after longtime host Meredith Vieira left to host her own NBCUniversal-produced talk show in 2013. The studio tried out hosts such as Cedric the Entertainer and Terry Crews, but those changes didn’t affect ratings.

Disney-ABC finally returned the show to its more straightforward roots, hiring The Bachelor’s Chris Harrison as host in 2015 and moving the show to Las Vegas from New York City at the start of last season. Those moves have given the show a lift, with Millionaire’s ratings up 10% in viewers, 6% in households and 4% among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54 this year season-to-date through Oct. 29, according to Nielsen.

To capitalize on the success of Feud, Debmar-Mercury and production partner FremantleMedia North America tried out Celebrity Name Game, hosted by Craig Ferguson, former host of CBS’s The Late Late Show. It was initially intended to be paired with Feud on TV stations, but Tribune, which does not air Feud in many markets, ended up acquiring it. In the end, Celebrity Name Game sputtered and ended its run after last season.

This year, Entertainment Studios rolled out its own comic-driven game show with Funny You Should Ask, hosted by Jon Kelley. In the program, comedians such as Gabriel Iglesias, Sherri Shepherd and Louie Anderson improvise answers to questions while contestants have to guess whether they’re right or wrong. So far, it is averaging a 0.5 in households, season-to-date, and a 0.2 among women 25-54.

Looking ahead, Warner Bros. is shopping a show to be hosted by Jane Lynch that studio sources describe as a comedy, but neither a talk nor game show. It’s being targeted for early-fringe and access time slots, so it could run in competition or be coupled with games and sitcoms in those time periods.

In general, new offerings in access are few. But with a lack of new sitcoms on the docket, studios are looking for non-sitcom ways to help stations freshen up access.

Meanwhile, over a year ago, Family Feud surpassed CBS Television Stations’ longtime leaders Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! to become syndication’s top-rated game. For years, it’s also been the top-rated first-run program among women 25-54. But Feud’s numbers are helped by multiple runs on both stations and on cable, while Wheel still relies on single runs. Jeopardy! has double-runs in some markets, but not nearly as many as Feud.

That said, Wheel and Jeopardy!, both produced by Sony Pictures Television, remain potent offerings in syndication after 35 and 34 seasons, respectively. Wheel, syndication’s fourth highest-rated show, averages a 5.8 in households season-to-date, down 3% compared to last year. Jeopardy! is currently the second highest-rated game in syndication and third highest-rated show overall, averaging a 5.9 in households season-to-date, up 4% from last year at this time.