The 18th season of The View premiered Monday, with new hosts, new producers and a new set. The social media reaction, as always, was mixed. Here’s what the critics had to say:
- The Wrap was impressed with the new co-hosts’ chemistry: “No one is more exhausted by the news surrounding the new hires than me, a writer and journalist covering the beat, but ABC got it right. Whatever testing and re-testing and lying about the departing hosts and producers that went down seems to have worked.”
- The Washington Post noted how respectful the usually raucous ‘Hot Topics’ section was: “Otherwise, the premiere was very similar to what the show has always been, as they debated hot-button issues including Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Woody Allen. If anything, it was pretty cordial, though of course it is only the first day. Wallace announced upfront she was a Republican, and O’Donnell chimed in with “And I really like her, I swear to God.”
- The Daily Beast was impressed with the new set: “A brand new set was then unveiled as Goldberg welcomed us to the new season. (O’Donnell reportedly had the entire studio moved to a new location in New York City because she thought the old one was drab and dusty.) The new set was orange and teal and much more intimate than recent iterations, returning to the idea these hosts are supposed to be part of the conversation with women, not performing a conversation in front of women.”
- The New York Times wasn’t as enthusiastic, noting that the show started with a coy joke about Barbara Walters and ended with a tribute to Joan Rivers “with a kind of mawkish piety… Most of what went on in between was rather stilted, which is to be expected when new hosts take over a long-established show, and this one has been around for 17 years. But even on Day 1, there were signs of where “The View” is headed, and it’s likely to be more tame.”
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All in all, a majority of the critics seemed to appreciate the changes. Let’s see if the positivity continues past the premiere.