'The Talk' Holds Its Own in Premiere Week

Monty Brinton/CBS

CBS' The Talk averaged about 2.2 million viewers in its first week, Nielsen ratings show.

While that's not enough to topple Barbara Walters' The View, which won handily by over a million viewers a day, The Talk is closing the gap between it and One Life to Live," the current No. 1 show in its time slot.

The Talk is the first network, daytime talk show to debut in more than a decade, and stars Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini, Sharon Osbourne and Marissa Jaret Winokur.

"There is no denying the comparison to The View," Chen told the New York Post. "But I think if people watch our show, they will get a different vibe. We are not trying to be political."

And while The View features heated debates and tempers (such as a recent interview with Bill O'Reilly that resulted in Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar storming off the set), The Talk promises to be more friendly.

"We didn't want to come across as over-the-top, screaming women, which a lot of people were expecting and secretly hoping to see happen," Chen said. "We just wanted to have a civilized opening."

"A big premise of the show is that it is about having a group of friends," added Gilbert.

Peete told USA Today that the show has been a learning experience so far.

"We're finding our stride. We're really coming together. Each day gets better and better. It's a dance. We're respectful of each other and sometimes we're too respectful, but we're getting it down and we're learning," she said.