CBS TV Stations to Anchor 'Drew Barrymore' Launch

The CBS Television Stations have signed on to anchor the fall 2020 launch of CBS Television Distribution’s new daytime talk show starring Drew Barrymore, said Steve LoCascio, chief operating and financial officer of CBS Global Distribution Group on Thursday.

The CBS Television Stations cover nearly 40% of the country. The show is expected to debut on WCBS New York and KCBS Los Angeles in the country’s top-two markets, but CTD still needs to sell the show in the rest of the country to guarantee its debut next fall. It’s relatively early for most stations to pick up a new show, especially with this year’s rookies just finding their footing.

Related: Drew Barrymore Shooting Talk-Show Pilot With CBS

“We are very excited to be in business with Drew Barrymore and have our stations serve as the launch group for a show that is the brightest prospect I have seen in many years,” said Peter Dunn, president, CBS Television Stations, in a statement. “We look forward to giving Drew and our colleagues at CBS Television Distribution our full support to help this show strike gold with our audience and advertisers.”

“It is beyond my wildest dreams to have this opportunity for a daily talk show,” said Barrymore, also in a statement. “I’m truly thrilled and honored to be creating this show with CBS.”

Barrymore previously shot a talk pilot with Warner Bros. in 2016. The studio tried to sell that show for the 2017-18 but had to walk away when it couldn’t find a time slot largely due to NBC renewing Steve Harvey’s Steve. The CBS stations -- unlike NBC and ABC -- did not pick up a major new show this year and as a result, have the ability to make room for Drew next fall.

The new show will be produced and distributed by CBS Television Distribution. Barrymore, Chris Miller and Ember Truesdell are executive producers. 

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.