Previously, the low ratings of Oprah‘s network (which were sometimes as low as 0.1, which is drastically below what the 0.3 rating that network executives promised to advertisers) have caused the mogul to say that it might have been a smarter decision for her to wait until her talk show had ended before launching her own channel. She has stated, “I’ve thought maybe it would have been better to wait until this completely ended and then literally use [Oprah] as a launchpad. If I had to do it differently and had thought of that option, I might have considered that a priority. But I don’t spend a lot of time in regret mode.” And so if reports from the National Enquirer are true, she’s doing the best thing she can do for her channel and by considering giving Neil Patrick Harris his own show.
The tabloid reports that Harris was actually the one who approached Oprah with the idea, and a source said “after their initial conversation, Oprah as intrigued enough to set up two follow-up brainstorming meetings on Skype with Neil. Oprah is mentoring Neil while also trying to bolster her own brand. [She] realizes Neil’s mass appeal to TV audiences, as well as his unique perspective as a gay parent juggling home life and a high profile career in Hollywood. Oprah needs a shot of adrenaline in the OWN network and a hot daytime show could just be the ticket.”
You’re not going to find too many people who’d be against giving Harris his own show, simply because he’s delightful and likable and has an extraordinary personality. It’s not necessarily fair that the network’s fate would rest on his shoulders he got a show on OWN, but he did manage to give the TONYs a 9% nudge in ratings (which it needed), and I’d say that looks about as good to Oprah as an abandoned Cocker Spaniel.
Sources: Celebitchy, tvbythenumbers
