Drew Barrymore’s daytime talk show will return for a third season in syndication — with a somewhat new format.
CBS Media Ventures, which produces and distributes The Drew Barrymore Show, has picked it up for season three. Station groups from CBS, Sinclair, Nexstar, Gray, Scripps, Tegna and Weigel have signed on to carry the show in 2022-23.
The show will also be produced differently next season: It will be produced as two half-hour episodes that can run back-to-back or be split up to air in separate time periods.
“I am honored and grateful but I also want to take this show higher and continue to innovate and be a game-changer in the daytime space,” Barrymore said in a statement. “Rising to the occasion of finding people in the diverse way they watch is what I want to challenge myself with. Our show wants to be a bright spot not a blind spot and we just want to make people feel good. And I thank all the people who helped us get here.”
Related Stories
The CBS-owned stations that carry The Drew Barrymore Show are also planning to launch new local newscasts to lead into the first half-hour of the syndicated show.
“Stations have always had a finite amount of shelf space, so we’re evolving the syndication model to meet the needs of our partners,” said CBS Media Ventures president Steve LoCascio. “We could not be happier to continue our relationship with CBS Stations and our other station partners to deliver more of The Drew Barrymore Show through this innovative new idea. From Drew’s unique take on everyday news to headline-generating celebrity interviews to lifestyle how-tos, Drew is a force of nature who has brought a fresh, optimistic viewpoint to daytime television. We love having her as part of the CBS family.”
Of the new morning newscasts, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations Wendy McMahon said, “We love the idea of creating a seamless flow of exquisite storytelling from the final hour of CBS Mornings to a new half-hour of local news on our CBS stations as we lead into the distinctive approach to the topics of the day and breath of fresh air that Drew Barrymore provides. We very much appreciate our CBS Media Ventures colleagues’ willingness to help us reimagine how we schedule programming on our stations.”
The Drew Barrymore Show has averaged about 740,000 daily viewers in recent weeks (top daytime talkers Live With Kelly and Ryan and Dr. Phil come in at 2.3 million to 2.5 million viewers). The show has, however, shown some ratings growth this season; its first-quarter audience grew by 11 percent over the same period a year ago.
