Marie Osmond Talk Show to Replace Martha Stewart
The Hallmark Channel has confirmed that this fall Marie Osmond's talk show will replace the current time slot for "The Martha Stewart Show."
Talks between the network and Marie Osmond about a "lifestyle-oriented" television show to replace Stewart had been in the works since late last year.
"We think [Osmond] will be a fantastic addition to the channel and to our lifestyle offerings," said Hallmark in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Osmond and her brother Donny have been starring in their own variety show at the Flamingo Las Vegas since 2008. The family duo's contract runs out in October.
A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Osmond's daily show is still in very early stages.
"While we're still in discussion with Marie, we're extremely excited about the prospect of Marie Osmond joining the Hallmark family," Fox News reported a spokesperson said.
Osmond had her own show in 2009, but the venture failure was blamed on the poor television advertising market.
"Martha Stewart" was canceled earlier this month. The series will finish its current and last season on the network this May, and reruns will air during this summer.
Stewart's show is a two-time Emmy Daytime Award winner, but Hallmarked decided not to renew it because of the sky-high budget the talk show required, including the studio lease in Manhattan.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) COO Lisa Gersh has said that the studio will be changed to a more economical location or be brought in-house for projection.
When the show began, Hallmark was devoting over eight hours of programming a day by MSLO, but it has since diminished down to five hours of airtime.
Hallmark is also in discussions with MSLO's other programs including "Emeril's Table" and "MadHungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn."
New talk shows this summer can be anticipated by Katie Couric, Bethenny Frankel, Steve Harvey, and Ricki Lake, among others.
