Whatever national sin America committed to deserve The View must have been grave indeed. As The Hollywood Reporter reminds readers, ABC’s soul-killing coffee klatch has been on for nearly 20 years. That’s two decades of the marginally informed imparting liberal conventional wisdom to the intellectually incurious, with all the soothing aural ambiance of a dog pound at walkies time.
Even with Rosie O’Donnell and creator Barbara Walters gone, The View is no better than it was. But according to THR, it’s having a ratings renaissance. “In a tumultuous election season, the show has returned to politics,” THR said, and quoting executive producer Candi Carter: “‘I actually think that people tune in for it,” says Carter. “I don’t think it turns them off.’”
The show apparently averages 2.7 million viewers, “550,000 of them in the female 25-54 demographic,” according to THR. No word how many are prisoners without access to the day room remote.
“What resonates with audiences is authenticity, fun and television that is kind of smart,” [Carter] adds. “I think we’ve gotten that table to the point where they’re having a good time. The conversation is smarter.” Of course it is, with a brain trust that boasts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Candace Cameron-Bure, Paula Faris, Michelle Collins and Raven-Symone.
Sadly, we’re a long way from the heady post-9-11 days when noted metallurgist O’Donnell declared melting steel to be an unprecedented phenomenon. Still, let’s take a look at some of the sparkling intellectual repartee that has lifted The View to ratings respectability.
- Whoopi Goldberg claimed all The View cast members are pro-life (a lie) and said Roe V. Wade occurred because “people got tired of tripping over women” who performed abortions on themselves in bathrooms.
- Joy Behar claimed (with Goldberg’s agreement) all congressional opposition to Obama, and specifically to his naming a replacement for Justice Scalia, motivated by racism.
- CNN Legal Analyst and View guest Sunny Hostin called Beyonce’s race-baiting, Black Panters-glorifying Super Bowl performance “extremely brave.” The panel agreed.
- Panelist Michelle Collins compared the candidates in a GOP debate to the show To Catch a Predator.
- Leftwing actress Susan Sarandon used a View appearance to scold “xenophobic” Americans over Syrian refugees.
- Behar, apparently vying for Most Repulsive Individual on a Talk Show, declared that she’d vote for a rapist as long as he’s liberal.
Those are just a few items from the last two months. The list goes on. Unfortunately, so does The View. We can only hope most of its audience isn’t released in time to vote.
