Meghan McCain joining The View, will start in October
Variety was the first to report this news, which hardly comes as a surprise when you think for a moment about what The View as an institution is looking for these days: Stability coupled with a strong conservative voice. This is something the show’s struggled with ever since having Elisabeth Hasselbeck on the show years ago — it creates a little more political diversity in the panel, and offers up some moments of high drama that will cause all sorts of headlines. The show hasn’t quite had that in years, especially for positive reasons.
In getting Meghan McCain, what The View is doing is getting someone on board the show who will draw almost instant attention. She’s got a history on TV already thanks to Fox News, and her status as Senator John McCain’s daughter comes with it a significant amount of clout. She has a voice and a platform, and should be able to hold her own alongside some of the women who are already a part of the panel.
What’s the biggest thing that she actually needs to do more than anything else? Try to find a way to make the show feel special. One of the reasons why there was not all that much cast turnover in the early days of the show was because everyone felt like they were a part of something and that it was a great environment and a notable gig. Nobody really seems to hold anywhere close to those sorts of sentiments towards being a part of The View anymore. It really feels more now like it’s just another gig that people walk in and out of like a revolving door.
Another part of the problem is simply that the climate and the way that we watch TV has changed dramatically from what it used to be. There are more people working now during the day, and even for those who aren’t they may still prefer being able to watch something on Netflix or another streaming provider. Fifteen years ago the landscape was a whole lot less crowded. Shows like The View need to work overtime to secure viewers; we at CarterMatt aren’t quite sure that they’ll ever get back to the promised land they were once at, but with McCain they’re at least making an effort to get someone notable into the mix again. Regardless of whether or not you like her, this is a move made with smart business in mind more so than anything else.
What do you think about Meghan McCain joining The View?
Do you think that this helps the daytime show, or really doesn’t make all that substantial of a difference one way or another? Be sure to share in the comments below! Also, like us on Facebook to get even more TV news. (Photo: ABC.)