ABC's 'The Chew' Off to Decent Start

ABC

ABC launched its All My Children replacement, lifestyle series The Chew, on Monday to 2.5 million total viewers. Though the programs do not air in the same time periods, to offer a bit of comparison, The Chew posted a larger opener than the 2.2 million who tuned in to the first episode of CBS' The Talk last year.

The Chew, co-hosted by Clinton Kelly, Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Carla Hall and Daphne Oz, outrated The Talk's premiere in three key demos: women 18-34 (167,000 vs. 158,000), women 18-49 (590,000 vs. 568,000) and women 25-54 (732,000 vs. 672,000).

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The Chew, largely focusing on food, lifestyle and nutrition, outperformed All My Children's season average from 2010-11 in total viewers (2.5 million vs. 2.4) and the women 18-49 demographic (0.9 rating vs. 0.8). Final numbers for the All My Children series finale will not be available until later this week.

During the summer Television Critics Assoc. press tour in early August, the hosts and producer of The Chew defended their show to a roomful of reporters.

"We hope that [soap fans] enjoy our show," said executive producer Gordon Elliot. "We were asked to come adn join the daytime lineup because the daytime tastes have changed. Really we're just [filling] a need that was already there. We would love the soap fans to share a little bit of us."

Kelly, who also co-hosts TLC's What Not to Wear, said, "People tune in to soaps because they feel the casts are their friends. ... We can't be soap operas but we can be a group of people you can hang out with."

All My Children ended its run on ABC on Friday, Sept. 23 and Prospect Park announced Tuesday that it will launch online in January. One Life to Live is slated to say farewell early next year.