Is Rosie At It Again?

I used to love Rosie O'Donnell's late '90s talk show and it was refreshing to watch some excitement during her stint on The View, but this is a horse of a different color.

Though it's incredibly early yet, there are rumors that O'Donnell and Fran Drescher are teaming up for a family sitcom.

Both ladies are funny in their own right, but they possess very different strengths. Drescher is a great physical comedian and compelling longform joke or storyteller. O'Donnell is in your face, on the spot, fast. That type of comedy is tough to translate to a scripted television show, especially when she has to compete with another actress. Ideally O'Donnell would produce or develop the pilot and let Drescher take the lead.

To make this show work, they're going to need strong writing, a non-traditional sitcom format and an amazing concept. Drescher and O'Donnell have strong industry ties, but if those things were easy to come by, wouldn't they both still be on TV in the first place?

Everything's Coming Up Rosie!

Rosie O'Donnell may be coming back to TV. Apparently she's in talks to host a nightly talk show on MSNBC. It will be less Ellen and more Real Time With Bill Maher.

I am a Rosie fan and have been for quite some time. True story: My first foray into journalism was in sixth grade when I wrote her a fan letter once and offered to be her snack cake reporter.

The View was top-notch when she was on. There was finally spirited debate, interesting topics and thought provoking discussions. If she gets the right forum, Rosie's new show could be the hottest thing on MSNBC...except for Lock Up.

But will people watch it? If the rumors are true, she'll be up against Larry King and Hannity & Colmes. While those shows have strong followings, the target audience is male, leans right and probably enjoys eating strained peaches. Rosie's demo is most likely watching primetime television. While I would be willing to tune in occasionally (Tuesdays and Fridays) I'm kind of booked solid the rest of the week.

I hope she comes back though. The media landscape is a little dry without her.

***Update 11/08/2007*** My dreams have been dashed. Rosie's not getting a show.
***Update 2/27/2008*** Or is she?