The Jennifer Hudson Show returns for its third season on Monday, September 16 with a renewed focus on joy, positivity and inspiration, the show said Tuesday. 

Premiere week guests include Angela Bassett, Sofía Vergara, Dave Bautista and Marlon Waywans. Already booked to appear are such celebrities as Andrea Bocelli, Saweetie, Kristen Bell, Ariana DeBose, Rob Lowe, Jimmy Kimmel, Terence Howard, Sterling K. Brown and more. The show, with a theme this season of “choose joy,” also will continue to feature “uplifting content that resonates deeply with viewers” with a focus on “community heroes.”

The show is premiering one week after CBS’ Drew Barrymore, which returned for Season 5 on Monday, September 9 and two weeks after Disney’s Live with Kelly and Mark and Tamron Hall. NBCUniversal’s The Kelly Clarkson Show returns a week later on Monday, September 23, as does Debmar Mercury’s Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd.

The Jennifer Hudson Show airs for one hour each weekday on such station groups as Fox Television Stations, Hearst Television, Sinclair, Tegna, Nexstar Media Group, the E.W. Scripps Co. and Gray Media Group, among others. 

The Jennifer Hudson Show is produced by JHUD Productions and Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Telepictures. It’s distributed in national syndication by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (EGOT) winner Jennifer Hudson executive produces along with Andy Lassner, Corey Palent, Graehme Morphy and Walter Williams III. 

Jennifer Hudson was the only strip in daytime to report a ratings rise in the largely stable week ended February 5. 

Warner Bros.’ rookie talker matched its highest rating since the week ended October 31, with a 17% gain to a 0.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Jennifer Hudson tied fellow talk rookie, Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, hosted by Sherri Shepherd, which stayed put at a 0.7 for the third straight week and the 13th time in the past 17 regularly scheduled weeks. Both Jennifer Hudson and Sherri have been renewed to return next season.

NBCU’s Karamo, hosted by Karamo Brown, remained at its season high 0.4 for a seventh straight week. 

Disney’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, which has been the sole talk leader for the past 21 weeks, held at a 1.6 for a second week. Among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54, Live led with a 0.6, followed by CBS Media Ventures’ Dr. Phil at a 0.5 and Sherri at a 0.4. Jennifer Hudson matched its demo high, gaining 50% gain to a 0.3 from a 0.2. 

Second-place Dr. Phil, which will conclude production in May, slipped 7% to a 1.4 in households. 

NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson held at its season-high 1.0 for a third straight week and was the most improved show in the top three, beating its performance from the same week last year by 11%. 

CBS’ Drew Barrymore, Disney’s Tamron Hall, CBS’ Rachael Ray, NBCU’s Steve Wilkos, library episodes of NBCU’s Maury and repeats of NBCU’s Jerry Springer talk-and-court combo were all stable at a  0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.4, respectively.

Evergreen episodes of CBS’ Judge Judy continued to lead the courts with a steady 4.6. 

CBS’ Hot Bench fell back 8% to a second-place 1.2. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court and Judge Mathis, Fox’s Divorce Court and Wrigley Media’s Relative Justice were all in line with the prior week’s 0.8, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively.

Allen Media Group’s We the People with Judge Lauren Lake landed at a 0.3 for an 11th straight week. Trifecta’s true-crime newcomer iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas captured a 0.5 for a seventh consecutive week. 

CBS’ Jeopardy! added 3% to a syndication-leading 6.0, making it 18 weeks at the top for the game-show leader. CBS’ Wheel of Fortune rolled to a 5.5 with a 2% advance to be second in syndication for the ninth time in 10 weeks. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud completed the gaming triumvirate, climbing 2% to a new season-high 5.4.

Fox’s 25 Words or Less lodged a 0.8 for a second week, followed by Fox’s You Bet Your Life with host Jay Leno which lost 13% to a 0.7. CBS’ newcomer Pictionary, starring Jerry O’Connell, erased 20% to a 0.4, tying Allen Media Group’s Funny You Should Ask, which held steady for a third week.

Magazines were led by CBS’ Inside Edition, which edged up 4% to a 2.4, and CBS’ Entertainment Tonight, which climbed 5% to a 2.3. Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight were the category’s only gainers going into the 65th annual Grammys on Sunday, February 5 on CBS. NBCU’s Access Hollywood and Fox’s TMZ both broke even  and remained tied at a 0.8. Warner Bros.’ Extra preserved its 0.6 and was the only magazine to improve in the key demo, advancing 50% among women 25-54 to a 0.3 and tying Access Hollywood. Fox’s Dish Nation descended 33% to a 0.2 from a 0.3. 

Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory led the off-network sitcoms while continuing to orbit at a 2.0 for a second week. Disney’s Last Man Standing stumbled 8% to a 1.1. Disney’s Modern Family flattened at a 0.8 for the fourth straight week. Sony Pictures Television’s The Goldbergs grew  17% to a 0.7, tying Warner Bros.’ Young Sheldon and Two and a Half Men, which were both steady. Disney’s Family Guy gave back 14% to a 0.6, tying Sony’s Seinfeld, which was even Steven for the ninth straight week, and CBS’ newcomer The Neighborhood, which harbored a 0.6 for a seventh consecutive week. Finally, Disney’s Black-ish backed down 20% to a 0.4, tying Disney’s American Housewife and Warner Bros.’ Mom, both of which stayed put for a third straight week.

The Real, a syndicated panel talk show, will end its run after this season, the show’s eighth in national syndication, it was confirmed on Friday. 

The Real, which was initially conceived by SallyAnn Salsano as an urban answer to ABC’s The View, is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution and produced by Warner Bros.’ first-run production arm, Telepictures and Salsano’s 495 Productions. While the move comes amid massive change coming to Warner Bros. as a result of its $43 billion merger with Discovery, The Real’s cancellation had been expected for months. 

On Fox-owned stations, The Real mostly aired on the group’s smaller of two stations in duopoly markets, such as on WWOR New York where it ran at 5 p.m. on weekdays. Due to those smaller-station clearances, The Real has been averaging a 0.3 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen, for the past 11 weeks, tying repeats of NBCUniversal’s Jerry Springer. 

The Real is hosted by Loni Love, Adrienne Houghton and Jeannie Mai, all of whom have been with the show from the start, as well as Garcelle Beauvais, who joined in 2020. The Real launched in 2014 after a summer 2013 test on Fox stations with co-hosts Love, Houghton (then Bailon), Mai, Tamar Braxton and Tamera Mowry. Braxton departed in May 2016, while Mowry left in July 2020 and was replaced by Beauvais, a model and actress who also has appeared on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and many other programs.

The Real was originally executive produced by Salsano, creator of MTV’s massive reality hit Jersey Shore. Salsano left in 2016 and was replaced by Rachel Miskowiec, who exited last fall and was replaced by Tenia Watson.

The Real joins many syndicated shows that will end their runs after this season, including Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres, Debmar-Mercury’s Nick Cannon and Wendy Williams, Sony Pictures Television’s short-lived The Good Dish, which replaced Dr. Oz after that show’s host, Dr. Mehmet Oz, departed to run for the U.S. Senate; NBCUniversal’s Judge Jerry, starring Jerry Springer; and CBS Media Ventures’ The Doctors and DailyMailTV. People (the TV Show!), which had been airing on formerly Meredith-owned stations in 12 markets, is also concluding.

Coming to syndication next season are Warner Bros.’ Jennifer Hudson, executive produced by the team behind Ellen; Debmar-Mercury’s Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd and replacing Wendy Williams; NBCUniversal's Karamo Brown, replacing Maury Povich; and Fox’s Pictionary starring Jerry O’Connell. Still, with that many shows departing, there will be some holes for stations to fill come fall. ■

Jennifer Hudson has been picked up by Fox Television Stations and Hearst Television for a fall 2022 debut, with the Warner Bros.-produced daytime talker sold in more than 60% of the country so far. 

“As the syndication business continues to go through a major sea change, we need power players to reenergize talk shows and Jennifer Hudson is just that,” said Frank Cicha, executive vice president, programming, Fox Television Stations, in a statement.

The Jennifer Hudson Show joins Fox’s daytime lineup this fall along with Debmar-Mercury’s new talker, Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd. Sherri will take over Wendy Williams’ time slots on Fox stations.

“I have experienced so much in my life – I’ve seen the highest of the highs, the lowest of the lows, and just about everything in between but as my mother always told me, ‘Once you think you’ve seen it all, just keep on living,’” Hudson said in a statement. 

“People from around the world have been a part of my journey from the beginning – twenty years ago – and I’m so ready to join their journey as we sit down and talk about the things that inspire and move us all. I have always loved people and I cannot wait to connect on a deeper level and let audiences see the different sides of who I am, the human being, in return. And I couldn’t be more thrilled to do it alongside this incredible team. We’re about to have a lot of fun and shake things up a little bit!”

Like her soon-to-be fellow talk-show host, Kelly Clarkson, Hudson first came to fame as a contestant on American Idol, ending her season-three run as a finalist. She went on to win an Oscar for playing Effie in the movie Dreamgirls. She’s also won two Grammys and an Emmy and is a Tony away from an EGOT. She recently starred as Aretha Franklin in the film Respect, a role for which she was hand-picked by Franklin. 

“I knew that Jennifer was a force to be reckoned with from the moment I met her nearly 20 years ago,” said Mike Darnell, president, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, also in a statement. “From her Grammy-winning career in music, to her Oscar-winning acting career, Jennifer’s amazing talent, big heart and authenticity shine through in everything she does. I am thrilled to be working with her in this new role. She’s a natural, and I know audiences will embrace her in their homes every day.”

The Jennifer Hudson Show will be produced in Los Angeles by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Telepictures. It will be executive produced by some of the EPs behind Warner Bros.’ The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, led by David Decker, executive vice president, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. ■

Young Sheldon has been picked up by TBS from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The off-CBS sitcom, based on the life of young Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage) from The Big Bang Theory, will premiere on TBS on Monday, Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. ET/PT. Young Sheldon joins such sitcoms as Friends, Big Bang, Seinfeld and Family Guy on TBS' line-up.

“The Warner Bros. Domestic TV library has been wonderfully successful for our networks from Friends to The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon is a natural addition that is going to enhance more opportunities for consumers to sit back and laugh,” Brett Weitz, general manager, TBS, TNT and truTV, said in a statement.

Also Read: Marketers Roll Up Sleeves as Shows Prep for Premiere

Young Sheldon, about the brilliant and socially awkward Cooper’s childhood in football-loving East Texas, premiered on CBS in 2017 as the most-watched comedy debut in broadcast primetime in 15 years. It recently concluded its fourth season and has been renewed by CBS for three more seasons. 

Besides Armitage, Young Sheldon stars Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord with Annie Potts and Jim Parsons as the voice of grown-up Sheldon. 

Young Sheldon was created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, who both serve as executive producers along with Steve Holland, Parsons and Todd Spiewak. 

Ellen DeGeneres is ending her eponymous daytime talker, Warner Bros.’ The Ellen DeGeneres Show, after next season, the show's 19th, the star confirmed Wednesday. 

The story was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter. DeGeneres told the magazine that as a creative person the show no longer challenged her. 

That said, DeGeneres and her show  have been challenged on other fronts. The show was pummeled all last summer by stories in BuzzFeed and other publications that cited unnamed staffers who said the show harbored a toxic atmosphere. As a result, three executive producers were fired prior to the beginning of this season. 

Ratings for the show never bounced back. This season alone, the show is averaging a 1.0 national household rating through May 2, down 47% compared to last year at this time when it was averaging a 1.9. Almost all syndicated shows are down year to year but none as much as Ellen among the top-tier talkers.

Also Read: Syndication Ratings: 'Dr. Phil,' 'Live' Tie for Talk Lead as Daytime Bounces Back

DeGeneres' decision takes the show and the star through the end of its current contract, which was agreed to in 2019. DeGeneres told the New York Times in 2018 that she expected to end the show after this contract expired.

According to THR, Oprah Winfrey will join DeGeneres on her show on Thursday to discuss the decision. Winfrey herself made a similar decision when she ended her own eponymous talker in May 2011 after 25 years on the air.

Ellen has served as an anchor show for the NBCUniversal owned television stations since its launch in 2003. NBCUniversal executives have said over the past year that they expect to move sophomore talker Kelly Clarkson into Ellen’s slots once that show ends, although they did not confirm those moves on Thursday. NBCUniversal Syndication Studios is in active development for fall 2022, said a spokeswoman.

“The Ellen Show is an iconic American TV program, and Ellen DeGeneres is a trailblazer and a one-of-a-kind talent who has entertained and enlightened our daytime audience for nearly two decades. Fans tuned in to the talk show as an hour of laughter, positivity, and inspiring stories. Ellen always brightened our weekday afternoons, and while we all wish the show could continue for years to come, we are grateful for what she and her entire production team have created. They have been an amazing group to work with, and we wish them the very best. You will be missed,” said Valari Staab, president, NBCUniversal Local, in a statement.

“The stations are working on their lineups and The Kelly Clarkson Show will be an important part of them,” said an NBCUniversal Local spokeswoman.

Just because DeGeneres’ daytime show is ending, doesn’t mean her TV ventures are. Her deals with Warner Bros. to executive produce such programs as NBC’s Ellen’s Game of Games and HBO Max’s Ellen’s Next Great Designer remain in place, and Warner Bros. also has a stake in her digital ventures as well. DeGeneres also just signed a deal with Discovery in March to produce natural history specials and documentaries. 

Young Sheldon, starring Iain Armitage as The Big Bang Theory’s young Sheldon Cooper, has been sold to TV stations in more than 90% of the U.S., David Decker, executive vice president, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, said on Monday.

Launching this fall, the off-network sitcom will air on stations owned by Nexstar, Sinclair, CBS, Hearst, Gray, Tegna, Scripps, Cox, Meredith, Graham, Weigel, Allen Media, Sunbeam, News-Press, Londen Media, Griffin, Lockwood, Morris and more. Both Young Sheldon and its elder sitcom sibling, The Big Bang Theory, also have been sold to HBO Max to air in premium streaming.

“WarnerMedia continues to deliver to our broadcast partners distinctive and franchise making comedies that both viewers and advertisers crave,” Decker said in a statement. “With Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory in syndication, the full story of Sheldon Cooper, the iconic and beloved character that connects both shows, will bring humor, laughter and joy to television stations every day of the week.”

Young Sheldon premiered on CBS in 2017 and was the most watched comedy debut in 15 years. Currently in its fourth season, and recently picked up by CBS for an additional three, the series is television’s number-one comedy, delivering nearly 10 million total viewers a week, and is also TV’s top-rated comedy among adults 25-54. Young Sheldon joins fellow Chuck Lorre series Two and a Half Men, Mom and Mike & Molly in syndication along with The Big Bang Theory, which has been sold for its third cycle beginning fall of 2023.

Besides Armitage, the series stars Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan and Raegen Revord with Annie Potts as well as Parsons as the voice of Sheldon. The show is created by Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Mom, Mike & Molly) and Steven Molaro (The Big Bang Theory, The Class),  and executive produced by Lorre, Molaro, Steve Holland, Parsons and Todd Spiewak. Produced by Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, the hit comedy series is currently airing its fourth season on CBS.

ViacomCBS’s Nick at Nite will continue to air reruns of Friends as part of a new multi-series agreement with AT&T’s Warner Bros. Television.

As part of the deal, Nick at Nite also bought the off-network cable premiere rights to Young Sheldon, which will start to appear on the channel on Nov. 30. 

The Friends move illustrates that while AT&T spent big bucks to put Friends on its streaming platform HBO Max--and take it away from rival Netflix--it prefers getting  income from cable syndication to being the exclusive outlet for the popular show.

Young Sheldon is also available for streaming on HBO Max.

Nick at Nite has been running 11 episodes of Friends a night from 9 p.m. until 3:05 a.m. The episodes are longer than 30 minutes each because they are stuffed with extra commercials.

Nick at Nite has also been running two other Warner Bros. shows on weeknights, Mom and Full House, but the network declined to say whether those shows were included in the renewal.

Beginning Nov. 23 at 9 p.m., Nick at Nite will be presenting a Super-Stuffed Friends-Giving featuring classic Friends episodes, highlighted by a marathon of Thanksgiving-themed episodes on Thursday.

HBO Max has been hyping a one-shot Friends reunion, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, production has been delayed several times.

Friends premiered in 1994 and stars David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Jennifer Aniston as 20-somethings in New York. There were 236 episodes before the show’s finale in 2004.

The series was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who executive produced the series with Kevin Bright through Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsey will join Warner Bros.’ Extra as a Los Angeles-based correspondent when the entertainment news strip returns for season 27 on Tuesday, Sept 8.

Lindsey, who co-hosts the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, has been serving as a special correspondent for Extra since last year. Lindsey holds a law degree from Marquette University and made history as the first Black woman to star on ABC’s long-running reality series.

“Rachel is dynamic and whip-smart,” said Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey, Extra senior executive producer in a statement. “Being a lawyer, a reporter and a celebrity in her own right, she comes with a connection with the audience that is the ideal fit for Extra. I always love watching her interviews and seeing celebrity Bachelor fans get starstruck.”

Lindsay is one of two attorneys on Extra's roster. Cheslie Kryst, the reigning Miss USA, is also a lawyer and will continue as an Extra New York correspondent alongside Nate Burleson, who is also an NFL Network host and CBS Sports commentator. 

Lindsey joins Jennifer Lahmers who also is a correspondent for the show out of Los Angeles. Charissa Thompson continues as Las Vegas correspondent. Longtime special correspondents Terri Seymour, Michael Corbett and Adam Glassman are all also returning.

Extra is anchored by Billy Bush and executive produced by Gregorisch-Dempsey, Theresa Coffino and Jeremy Spiegel. The show is produced by Warner Bros.’ first-run production arm, Telepictures, and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. 

OWN will launch the second season of its drama series Queen Sugar in June, the network announced Thursday.

The two-night, season two debut of the series, created by Ava DuVernay and executively produced by Oprah Winfrey, will launch on June 20 and June 21 before settling in on its weekly Wednesday timeslot, said the network.

The network along with Queen Sugar producer Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution also announced that Hulu will stream the first season of the series beginning April 21, with subsequent seasons will becoming available to stream following their initial season run on OWN.

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution has promoted David Decker to executive vice president of cable and SVOD sales, succeeding veteran Tom Cerio, who is retiring at the end of March.

Decker will report to Ken Werner, president of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, with Cerio serving in a sales consultant position.

Last year, Decker, who has been with Warner Bros. for a decade, was promoted to the newly created position of executive vice president of business and legal affairs, Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution. Prior to that, he had been EVP of business and legal affairs  for WBDTD and Telepictures Productions since 2009

“David is the perfect person to take the reins from Tommy and lead our cable and SVOD sales domestically,” said Jeffrey Schlesinger, president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution. “Having worked on numerous innovative, complex and unusual licensing agreements on a global basis, David has a wide-ranging understanding of the distribution marketplace, its challenges and its opportunities.”

Before joining Warner Bros., Decker spent six years at Stone Stanley Entertainment. Prior to that, he served as a production attorney in the business affairs department at Buena Vista Television and as a contract attorney in the legal department of Paramount Pictures Network Television.

For his part, Cerio has helmed Warner Bros. cable domestic distribution since 2009.        

“Tommy is one of the most talented, innovative and dare I say, well-liked, executives in the television industry,” said Schlesinger.  “He has always been passionate about his deals as well as his relationships across the industry with clients, colleagues and competitors alike.  He is an innovative deal-maker, a savvy strategist and above all an ethical and respected executive.  While we will miss not having him run our cable and SVOD business on a daily basis, we are fortunate that he has agreed to let us to continue to tap into his expertise as a consultant.”