The Meredith Vieira Show got off to a decent start Monday, helped by pulling in Jennifer Lopez as the first guest to appear on the daytime talk show.
Though the premiere episode improved the timeslot's numbers by 41 percent, Vieira still fell shy of the previous debuts of syndicated talk shows from Queen Latifah and Katie Couric, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In the targeted demographic of women 25-54, Vieira debuted to a 0.6 rating, which is shy of Latifah's 2013 0.9 rating and Couric's 2012 1.6 rating, though the latter's numbers proved to be mostly fool's gold as the show struggled throughout its run.
Vieira's talk show did managed a 1.7 rating among metered households, which is much more similar to the start Latifah got.
Ahead of Monday's start, the new daytime talk show host wanted to make her set feel comfy, notes USA Today. Vieira brought in furniture already broken in thanks to her cats, along with her kid's paintings and other such knick knacks.
The former Today anchor aims to make the show a little different from others, to including a five-piece band to tossing in celebrities and uplifting topics. "We always have something that kind of tugs at your heart," Vieira says. "Or makes you think twice; that's how I see my contribution."
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