The Rosie Show : Brilliant or Schizophrenic? Eh...Fine Line.

So I am a big BIG Rosie O'Donnell fan.  Big!  Huge!  I think she is so smart and funny and such a true do-gooder. 

She doesn't just put her name behind a campaign and have some company write a check on her behalf.  She doesn't even just write a check herself.  She shows up.  She actually interacts with people.  She is such a great example of "just do it" and I love and respect that.  And she follows through.  I could go on and on about how in awe I am of her personal convictions to do wonderful things in this world and to continually help others gain a better life.

And I used to love her talk show.  Bestie and I were big fans and had big dreams of going to see the show. 

So I had great expectations for her new show on OWN.  The promos for it with Oprah were pretty cute - they set the bar rather high.

But I am not sure how I feel about the show so far.  Here's why...

There's a lot going on in a one hour show.  Stand up comedy, audience questions/participation, Broadway style songs, David Letterman style songs (which I loathe by the way) with the song-writer from SNL who won an Emmy for Bleep In A Box, game show style games (also super annoying), sometimes giveaways and somewhere in the middle there's the talk show part.  Oh and sometimes there's a reality element too.  All of that in one show, y'all. 

It's just too much.  Too all over the place.  Too hard to follow.  A little bit Schizophrenic.

.....
So Rosie, let's talk.  Just us girls.  A heart to heart between old friends. 

You know I love you.  And I very much want to like your new show.  But I have some suggestions to make it better.

First, if you insist on doing the games (which I don't think you should but you clearly love them and I do believe in following one's bliss and if they are your bliss who am I to deny that to you), pick one day to do them.  Maybe do a game on Friday.  But not everyday.  They are annoying.  Not a little bit, but a lot bit.  I say that with love though.

The Letterman style songs have just got to go.  That sucks up time you could be talking to guests or doing stand up.  The songs don't translate to a TV audience as funny, Ro.  They just don't.  A DJ or just no music at all would be better. 

Focus on the strengths and do more of that.  The stand up and the talking to guests, specifically.  Lisa Kudrow was a great.  Have more guests like her, please.

Like the games that we've now decided (because I am so sure you are reading this and are nodding in agreement) to move to just one day a week, let's perhaps also move the reality behind the scenes element to one day a week too.  I get why you want in as a part of your show.  We all loved the Oprah behind the scenes show.  That was just so much fun to watch.  But maybe just do that on say, Mondays.  Or maybe a summer series when your show is on vaca. 

So here's a tweak on what you are already doing regarding the Broadway style numbers.  Maybe just do those one day a week too but get local high school kids to do them with you.  How fun for a high school kid to be on your big, fancy Rosie show with Oprah's long coveted hard wood floors!  See ... I watch.

And last (for now), why is your show on at 7PM?  Move it to 8 or 9 and I swear you will get more viewers.  At 7PM I am cooking dinner or walking the dog or sitting in a League meeting.  Thankfully you're on cable and OWN, like Bravo, tends to run in a loop.  So you are sort of always on.  But if you moved the show an hour or two later, you would likely get more viewers at the time the show first airs. 

Oh and how does one get the job as your announcer?  I'd love that gig.  How fun to answer when asked the question of what I do for a living, "Oh I am the announcer at The Rosie Show."  So much more interesting to say than the typical "I'm in consulting" blabber that everyone else says.

So there you go.  You are going to get rid of the Letterman style songs with the SNL gal (who is awesome- just not for this show format) because they are not funny and a waste of time, you are going to tailor down the games, and focus more on the talk show element.  Oh and if your current announcer gal doesn't work out, you'll call me because I think that looks like the most fun job ever.

Glad we had this chat, friend.

Hugs,
KK