‘The View’ ratings down for Joy Behar’s return; is there still optimism?

There’s no doubt that 2015 has not been kind to “The View” in the court of public opinion. We’ve seen Rosie O’Donnell, Rosie Perez, and Nicole Wallace exit. Not only that, but the show changed executive producers this summer while hiring Candace Cameron Bure, Raven-Symone, Michelle Collins, and Paula Faris to be new panelists. They even brought back Joy Behar after she previously departed the show.

So did any of these changes pay off as far as ratings go? Well, there’s both good news and bad news. The bad news is that with a 2.5 household rating and a 1.0 in the key women 25-54 demographic, the premiere Monday was down dramatically versus the one last year. However, as noted by Deadline, it’s not a great comparison given the curiosity last year around Rosie’s return to the show. There was much more controversy surrounding her than there ever was with Behar.

The ratings for the premiere when you look away from year-to-year comparisons are at least solid, and if the show keeps them up for the rest of the season, they will be in good shape. Consistency is just the issue here, since it is hard to preserve interest over the course of a long TV season, and with a cast that changes so much that it is hard to get attached.

Ultimately, we’ll have a chance to update this later this season. Our concern for now is that like “American Idol,” once you start to make so many sweeping changes to your on-air personalities, it is very hard to recapture the magic that you once had.