‘Sherri,’ Syndie Successor to ‘Wendy Williams,‘ To Premiere Sept. 12

By Paige Albiniak
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

New daytime talk strip will air on Fox stations in top markets

'Sherri,' starring Sherri Shepherd, to debut this fall on Fox stations and others around the country.
'Sherri,' starring Sherri Shepherd, to debut this fall on Fox stations and others around the country. (Image credit: Debmar-Mercury/'Sherri')

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 Shepherd’s Talk Show - YouTube
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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. ■

Paige Albiniak
Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.