The new CNN show “King Charles,” named after co-hosts Gayle King and Charles Barkley, premiered in late November.
On the day of the premiere, reports suggested that King Charles bombed. The ratings labeled the show a flop.
The Hollywood Reporter said that the CNN show King Charles could manage just 501,000 viewers for its debut. According to Nielsen Media Research, the show only pulled 139,000 in the advertiser-coveted demographic of ages 25-54.
This also results in the lowest numbers for CNN’s primetime debuts this year. The collaboration was perceived as a hit among the audiences, considering Gayle King’s command over them.
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In addition, Barkley’s charm and wit on television is often seen as a hit material for fans. Despite a solid lineup and major backing from CNN, King Charles failed to put up good numbers. But there is more to it than just ratings.
The January 31 broadcast fell to 400,000 total viewers. There were only 89,000 in the key demo, a 36% drop.
“King Charles” was the brainchild of ousted CNN boss Chris Licht. Licht recruited King, whom he had previously worked with as the executive producer of “CBS This Morning” (King still co-hosts, now called “CBS Mornings”), and relied on in-house talent within the Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella as Barkley remains a popular sports analyst for CNN’s sister network TNT, reports Fox News.
It should have worked, but CNN destroyed itself with the dishonest hosts and obsession with Trump hate, especially after the way Biden turned out. They have continued their dishonest reporting.
King and Barkley weren’t looking for jobs but liked the idea of working together.
Barkley remained candid about CNN’s dire straits. Last year, as talks were underway, Barkley openly referred to CNN as a “s—show” and joked he was “jumping on the Titanic” after the show was announced.
“King Charles” only airs once a week on Wednesdays instead of broadcasting every weeknight. Barkley had refused work every night.
The show focused less on politics and invited cultural figures like rapper Fat Joe, and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr as its inaugural guests. King and Charles occasionally chat with newsmakers like Secretary of State Antony Blinkin. There’s a really fascinating interview – not!
I think I zeroed in on one problem – it’s boring. It just shows you can take two popular personalities and make them boring. They limited their audience to Trump haters, so now that’s what they are stuck with.
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