‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’ Renewed for Season 2
Written by djfrosty on January 11, 2023
Jennifer Hudson is staying put.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced Wednesday that its freshman entry, The Jennifer Hudson Show, would be back on Fox TV Stations for a season two next fall. Hearst Television, along with other station partners, also renewed the Telepictures-produced series. With the freshly-minted EGOT as host, the syndicated show is said to be reaching, on average, 5.2 million weekly viewers — hardly Oprah ratings, but “absolutely deserving,” as Fox TV Stations exec Frank Cicha noted, of a second year.
“Working on this show alongside my incredible team and our amazing partners has been one of the greatest joys of my career. We have been on this journey together from day one and I am so thrilled to take it to the next level,” Hudson said in a statement. “I could not be more grateful to audiences across America for letting me into their homes everyday as we empower and inspire one another. I can’t wait to show you what we have up our sleeves in season two.”
Hudson and her eponymous show have attempted to fill a void left by the departures of daytime staples Ellen and The Wendy Williams Show. To do so, the American Idol alum was paired with Ellen DeGeneres’ longtime producers, Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner and Corey Palent, along with Lisa Kasteler Calio, Graehme Morphy and Walter Williams III as executive producers. But, as DeGeneres acknowledged in her exit interview with THR, daytime is an increasingly “fractured environment”; in fact, asked if she’d launch her show in today’s market, DeGeneres said she probably wouldn’t.
Still, the executives involved with Hudson’s effort used Wednesday’s renewal news as an opportunity to praise the series and its host. “This show is second to none because of her and all of the talented producers and crew who work daily to make every single episode special,” added Warner Bros.’ president of unscripted TV Mike Darnell, who first met Hudson when he was overseeing Idol for Fox. “A season two pick-up this early on proves that this show is here to stay.”
The announcement comes as the same Fox station group revealed it would be re-upping the season’s other new entry as well. Sherri Shepherd’s Sherri is set to return for two more years.
This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.