The Bottom Line
Part cooking show, part Generation X lifestyle program, and all talk, The Rachael Ray Show offers guests familiar talk show elements, such as celebrity guests, interview segments, and hot topics. The show is produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions. And since its September 2006 debut, has soared in the ratings. Ray picked up her first Emmy for the program in 2008 for the 2007 season.
Pros
- Ray is immensely likable.
- Ray's past television experience makes the transition to talk show host simpler.
- Not quite Oprah, not quite Ellen, not quite Dr. Phil, but a little bit of all three.
- Won the Emmy in 2008
- Viewers like her talk show style
Cons
- Is Ray reaching media over-exposure? Could there be a backlash?
- Viewers who like Ray in the kitchen only might be turned off
- Proves she can be a talk show host, but can she carry her show to the next level?
Description
- One-hour, daytime talk show
- Syndicated, check local listings for time and channel
- Debuted Sept. 18, 2006, and has risen faster in the ratings than any other syndicated talk show.
- Includes celebrity guests, cooking segments and usually some sort of theme for the day
Guide Review - Overview: The Rachael Ray Show
The Rachael Ray Show, starring that incredibly perky and (my wife is gonna kill me for saying this) incredibly cute star of all things Food Network, debuted her talk show with a lot of fanfare and questions back in September 2006. But as her recent Emmy win can attest to, Ray's show has taken off with fans and soared in the ratings. Ray's show celebrates the can-do spirit in every person and gives viewers the essentials for whole-hearted living.
Ray is well-known for her kitchen skills, and creative cooking continues to be a cornerstone of the program. But the show does stray into away-from-the-kitchen territory with celebrity guests, interview segments, and other talk show standards. Ray has interviewed celebrity guests before, most notably on her FN program Inside Dish with Rachael Ray, ostensibly a talk show, and she honed that ability on her show the last two years.
Plus, it doesn't hurt to have Oprah Winfrey (Rachael Ray's producer) backing you up.
