We have our first glimpse of the new “The Social,” which aired Wednesday in a very different form. After 13 seasons on CTV, Bell Media announced at the end of August that the daytime talk show’s format and platform would be “reimagined.”
The departure of one of the founding hosts, Melissa Grelo, who will be focusing on her own podcast “Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo,” means the show is now helmed by a table of three — founding host Cynthia Loyst, along with Jess Allen and Andrea Bain — plus a daily roster of guests.
The other biggest change is the one most apparent in the first episode: there is no more studio audience. While the show still airs in its 2 p.m. time slot, it is also streaming on Crave and iHeartRadio Canada, as well as YouTube. It is now billed as a video podcast.
So what do we lose when we lose a studio audience? Electricity, for one thing. If you have ever attended a talk show — I’ve been backstage at many, while writing profiles of various talent — you’ll know that feeling of the pre-show excitement building like a beehive.
In the final days of “The Marilyn Denis Show,” the devoted group of (mostly) women watching in the studio was so psyched that the sound engineers had to adjust the volume so as not to blow the home audience’s eardrums.
When there is a live audience, there are stage managers and hype guys — in the case of “The Social,” beloved audience coordinator Derek Forgie — to whoop things up and help direct the energy at the appropriate moments. The fact that the proceedings were going out live into the ether (or live to tape) was a thrill for everyone present. Anything could happen!
For generations, daytime TV studio audiences have been a critical component in the format’s success, now in very short supply. Tracy Moore, host of “Cityline” from 2008 until its cancellation in 2024, spoke to the Star after its 40-year run ended. She told me communing with the audience helped her take down the “fourth wall,” or close the gap between the camera, herself and the viewers at home to forge real connection while discussing topics both light and profound. “It went beyond the superficial parasocial relationships into the nitty gritty real life issues: job loss, health issues, miscarriage,” she said at the time.
Without all those people in the room, reacting in real time with murmurs of assent or disagreement or spontaneous applause, we lose a feeling of representation in the conversation, as well as a depth of sound for the viewer at home. The new “Social” feels, in its first blush at least, static.
“The Social” was conceived in 2013 as a Canadian take on the popular U.S. daytime show “The View,” which initially starred the late celebrity grill-master Barbara Walters and actor/provocateur Whoopi Goldberg among a rotating cast whose off-air antics and grudge-matches vied with the heated on-air exchanges for newsy buzz.
“The Social” formula is a mix of debates on daily hot topics, speculative banter about celebrity gossip, and lifestyle segments on food and health, fashion and beauty. Then and now, the commercial breaks reflect the presumed demographic: women at home who want company while they go about their daily tasks. All daytime shows are designed to be listened to as much as watched: if you miss something while folding laundry you can still follow along.
On the first day of season 14, the three hosts were joined by special guest Mel C, as in Sporty Spice Mel Chisholm, currently on a world tour and talking about the 30th anniversary of the girl band that dominated the ’90s and her own reimagined solo career. A big get for the show. On the celeb front was a look at Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry’s romance — the gals are for it.
A strong start, but the rhythm has changed, without the interplay with the audience. The shots stay focused on that one table; a food segment appeared with premade dishes and the hosts ate while chatting with the woman who went viral for cheesecake on a stick.
Viewer reactions on YouTube were a mixed bag, some harsh: “This is not a podcast. It is a talk show with budget cuts.” Another suggested, “A set that doesn’t remind viewers of the previous format would be a good start.” One viewer wondered “if Andrea will get as silly and wild without an audience,” but said they will stick around regardless.
The success of a talk show comes down to the casting. That indefinable “it” factor makes a host charismatic yet relatable, from Micki Moore in “You’re Beautiful,” which ran from 1977 to 1989 (and was parodied brilliantly by Andrea Martin on “SCTV”), to Dini Petty, another “Cityline” alum who helmed The Dini Petty Show from 1989 to 1999. Denis and Moore attracted their own legions of fans.
As group-hosted shows rose in popularity, “The Social” worked because the parts fit well together as a whole. Over the years, popular cast members have included Elaine (Lainey) Lui, Traci Melchor and Marci Ien.
Of the season 14 three, Loyst is the calm, collected one who advocates for self-care and is open about her own struggles with depression and burnout. Allen is the quirky one, known for self-deprecating humour, zany antics and exuberant caftans. Bain calls herself “the overshare-y” host, is really into food and draws on her journalist background to probe guests and sprinkle in trenchant commentary.
We do watch TV differently now, though the need for relatable representation is essentially why “everywoman” influencers are flourishing. In this new world where attention is splintered and we are all creating our own custom broadcast networks, community is often found in bits and bytes online — and not among a group of people having the same experience in a room together. And that’s why the disappearance of the studio audience feels like such a loss.
