The Bottom Line
In its second season, The Tyra Banks Show continues to attract viewers by placing talk show host Tyra Banks in unique situations – posing as a 350-pound woman, as stripper in a strip club, and as a male member of rapper Chingy’s posse – all in an effort to learn, first hand, many of the issues facing women today.
Pros
- Entertaining in much the same way as early <i>Oprah</i> episodes.
- Unique in its investigation of topics.
- Tyra Banks gets involved in unusual ways.
Cons
- Often over-the-top.
- Sometimes sensationalistic.
Description
- One-hour program
- Airs in syndication (check local listings for times)
- Debuted in September 2005
- Focuses on issues women face today
- Often described as a younger Oprah Winfrey Show
- Daytime in most cities; night time talk show in others
Guide Review - The Tyra Banks Show
I’ve only caught a couple episodes of The Tyra Banks Show, and those were the more publicized ones – the 350-pound woman, the sonogram, too tight corsets – and so forth. This alone should give you a sense of what The Tyra Banks Show is – a bit more glitz and glam, but still taking on today’s issues.
The overarching theme to The Tyra Banks Show is of addressing women’s issues in a sensational way. Several recent episodes have tackled this in a round-about way, namely spotlighting men, their place in society, and how it differs from the female experience. The round-about way? Tyra dressing as a man and infiltrating a strip club to see why men attend.
As Tyra’s show grows and matures – and I think I have to place an emphasis on matures – it could become the successor to Orpah Winfrey’s throne. Tyra displays much of the same spark, intellectual curiosity, and fun loving attitude. The show just needs to steer away from the three-ring circus role some episodes have projected. The importance of sonograms and mammograms? Important. Using such technology to prove that your breasts are real?
Not so important.
