Rhode Island native Meredith Vieira is hardly a stranger to daytime TV, thanks to stints on “The View,” “Today” and the syndicated version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”
But she’s never had a show with her name on it. Until now.
“The Meredith Vieira Show,” a syndicated talk show from NBCUniversal, will debut Sept. 8. (Locally, the show will air at 3 p.m. on Channel 6 in Rhode Island and Channel 5 in Boston.)
“I had no intention of going back to daytime TV after ‘Today,’” Vieira said in a recent phone interview. (Vieira joined ‘Today’ in 2006 and left in 2011.) “But it became clear to me that I really missed connecting with people. And I had that with ‘Today’ and ‘The View.’ It’s very personal, that connection.”
While she was working on “Millionaire,” Vieira said, she and executive producer Rich Sirop would discuss talk shows — what they liked, what they didn’t, what sort of show they would create themselves. Now they have their chance, since Sirop will be executive producer, along with Vieira, of the new show.
Daytime TV can be a fiercely competitive environment for a new show, but Vieira is about as close to a proven commodity as you can find in the fickle world of broadcasting.
“I like our hand,” NBCUniversal broadcasting chairman Ted Harbert told The Hollywood Reporter. “The key to daytime TV is to get [guests] to spill their life … Meredith Vieira is a human magnet. People love to talk to her.”
Vieira said all talk shows are, to some degree, a reflection of their hosts. Although the show will be shot in Manhattan, the set will duplicate Vieira’s own home in suburban Westchester County, including family photos, artwork by her three kids (now grown up), and even her furniture.
“It’s one of the safest sets I could ever be on,” Vieira said. “The set is my home. There’s going to be no screaming and yelling. Not that we won’t take on issues, but it will be in a respectful way.”
Old friend Jon Harris will be the announcer; the band will be led by Everett Bradley, who has played percussion for Bruce Springsteen. He’ll be backed by an all-female band.
Vieira, 60, said the show’s content will include aspects of her 40 years in broadcasting. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’ve acquired a lot of different skills in the process,” Vieira said.
There will be celebrity guests, particularly in the early weeks of the show “when you want to get people into the tent,” but the show will also feature ordinary people with interesting or inspiring stories to tell.
And Vieira said she hopes to bring out a different side even with her famous visitors: “I don’t want to be the fifth or sixth show where someone is talking about their new movie,” she said.
Vieira’s 11 seasons as host of “Millionaire” should stand her in good stead, since “The Meredith Vieira Show” will include games played by members of the studio audience, with lots of prizes and giveaways.
There will be a public service element to the program, too. Vieira supports lots of causes, including animal rights, children’s charities, and efforts to fight multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. (Her husband, author and journalist Richard Cohen, has MS.)
“I think I can make a difference,” Vieira said.
Each week, for example, her show will pair a service dog with a deserving recipient.
After 40 years in the business, does Vieira have any secret formula?
“Lesson number one is to be authentic,” she said. “Audiences can smell a fake a mile away. Be true to yourself, and that’s your best chance at success.”
RI's Own Meredith Vieira Talk Show to Premieres September 5
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