Rosie O'Donnell's patented combination of razzle-dazzle and humble Everywoman last week goosed OWN's fun quotient, along with the ratings.
With familiar but not headline- making guests, stand-up patter, games and music — and self-professed "sucking up" to critics — the variety-chat show host got noticed. She even prompted viewers to find their way to the obscure channel (locally OWN is Channel 220 on Comcast, 189 and 885 on DishNet, 279 on DirecTV).
Make a big noise, ratings may follow.
But the Rosie-Oprah brands are wearing thin.
An axiom of the TV business is that a single hit can change the fortunes of an entire network. Many cable networks have languished in anonymity until a breakout show lifted them to prominence. Comedy Central didn't break out until "South Park" became a destination. Bravo was nowhere until "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" drew a crowd.
Might "The Rosie Show" come to OWN's rescue?
So far, "Rosie" feels less exciting, less fresh, less like a destination than, say, "Ellen." It looks very like what O'Donnell delivered in the old days — which is not necessarily a compliment. She was great, but that was a long time ago.
Besides, while one hit can boost a whole network, that network has to have a store of other shows ready to score. OWN doesn't seem to have the bench strength.
Even if she pumps up the star wattage and lowers the average age of her guests, it's unclear whether Rosie can save Oprah.
It may stun Oprah fans that, after 10 months on the air, the highly promoted OWN is in need of saving.
Since January, it's turned in lousy ratings, with no standout show, executive changes and a general lack of traction. With Oprah's previously divided attention now firmly on the network, that will no longer serve as an excuse.
O'Donnell's first-week ratings were middling. The "Rosie" premiere drew 497,000 viewers, not great, but better than "Oprah's LifeClass" (reruns, which managed only 333,000).
O'Donnell is clearly comfortable in her own skin; watching her is a study in showmanship. But the audience may still be ambivalent about her after a rocky TV past.
Winfrey's collaborators at Discovery are doing everything they can to make sure "Rosie" is exposed to viewers: Her show has been airing on four other Discovery Communications networks — TLC, Investigation Discovery, Discovery Fit & Health, and Planet Green — at the same time as OWN. That was a sacrifice for TLC: By giving the slot to "Rosie," TLC took a hit in the ratings it normally draws for "Little People Big World."
Taken together, the five networks posted a 1.5 rating for "Rosie" among the target audience, women 25-54. Better for OWN, but not great.
OWN's new shows include "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's," a soft docu-reality show about a family restaurant run by the matriarch (a former Ikette with Ike and Tina Turner), "Our America With Lisa Ling" (the correspondent appears in easy-listening documentaries), and "Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind" (the best of the lot, with Tyler Perry talking about his work in the first installment).
Her upcoming episode about extreme parenting styles will surely get every parent in America talking.
“It’s a very fascinating look into different approaches to parenting. We spent time with four families who have completely different styles,” she says. “They are literally shaping these little people into adults.”
Ling thinks this season will be just as fascinating as the first one on OWN, even though the network is undergoing a reinvention. But Ling says she wouldn’t want to work for anyone else or anywhere else.
“OWN has gone through its challenges. It is a brand new network and looking to find its voice,” she said. “But I actually feel more strongly about it now than ever. I don’t think I would be able to do any other show on any other network.”
The veteran journalist says Winfrey is very involved, and screens episodes of “Our America.” "Oprah watches everything and will sometimes give notes. She is very active in the process.”
When she's not working for one of the most famous people in the world, Ling confesses she spends lots of her free time on social networking sites.
“I’m a self professed Twitter junkie," she says. "And I spend so much time on Facebook. It’s highly addictive."
Ling’s second season of “Our America” airs on OWN Sunday, October 16.
All about: Lisa Ling Rosie O'Donnell
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