The Most Popular Daytime Talk Shows Ranked, According To IMDb
Daytime talk shows like Ellen DeGeneres' are long-running and popular. But how do their IMDb ratings fare?
It seems that while viewers love their daytime talk shows, they aren't so kind when reviewing them. Do they really dislike their so-called favorite daytime guilty pleasures as much as their ratings suggest, or is this just a matter of biased scoring?
Nonetheless, of eleven of the top daytime talk shows, only one actually ranks higher than a six on a scale of ten on IMDb. Nonetheless, all of these series remain hugely popular and continue to bring in a healthy number of viewers each day, whether they like what they see or not.
So how do some of the most popular and long-running daytime talk shows rate?
10 The View - 2.6
This talk show that features a panel of women discussing current and political issues has been airing now for 23 seasons. The panel has been shaken up numerous times. It started with with Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Meredith Viera, Star Jones, and Debbie Matenopoulos, and Behar is the only remaining original. She is joined today by Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, and Meghan McCain along with a rotating list of guest hosts, including both men and women.
The ladies all have passionate views and often talk over one another which can make the show seem more catty than chatty. Nonetheless, with 31 Daytime Emmy Awards to its name, the low rating doesn't hold much weight.
9 The Talk – 3.4
Adopting a similar format to The View, The Talk premiered in 2010 and was developed by actor Sara Gilbert (Roseanne), who also served as the lead host for much of the show's run. Today's hosts include Sharon Osbourne, Eve, Sheryl Underwood, Marie Osmond, and Carrie Ann Inaba; Julie Chen was initially on the panel.
Interestingly, while the series copies The View's style to some degree, it's less politically charged and has a more casual format.
8 The Wendy Williams Show – 3.4
Williams has been on the air for 11 seasons since 2008 and she competes with The Ellen DeGeneres Show for viewers in that key female, 25-54 demographic. While she's arguably more controversial than Ellen, more outspoken and opinionated on issues, and places a greater focus on gossip, this is exactly what some viewers want from a daytime talk show.
She covers "Hot Topics" each week and focuses mainly on reality TV stars and Black entertainers in her segments, as well as divulging information about her own personal life.
7 Dr. Phil – 4.1
Initially appearing as a segment on Oprah Winfrey's show, Dr. Phil McGraw finally got his own show way back in 2002, thanks to Winfrey, and it has been on the air ever since. Labeled an "advice" show, McGraw meets with families and people going through issues of all kinds and uses his knowledge of clinical psychology to try and help them through the problems.
The show is more so for entertainment purposes than anything else. Nonetheless, the fact that McGraw was a practicing psychologist at one point lends some credibility to his advice, and viewers love to see what kinds of crazy stories and characters end up on Dr. Phil.
6 The Dr. Oz Show – 4.3
As far as famous celebrity doctors go, it doesn't get much more famous than Dr. Mehmet Oz. Also spawning from Oprah Winfrey's show, this series has been on the air since 2009. While primarily a show that covers health, wellness, and medical stories, Dr. Oz has also delved into true crime stories and sometimes interviews celebrities as well.
Having received nine Daytime Emmy Awards, the low ratings are puzzling, though sometimes what Dr. Oz says on his shows sparks controversy.
5 Rachael Ray – 4.3
While Ray focuses mainly on cooking and teaching the audience recipes and cooking tips on this show, she also welcomes celebrity guests and interviews them in a casual, informal setting. Sometimes, it's actors and musicians, but she also brings in health and lifestyle experts to do makeovers and what not.
The show originally premiered in 2006 and it is still going strong. It began as a Harpo Productions show, created by Oprah Winfrey's company, though it is handled by a different production company today.
4 Live with Kelly and Ryan – 4.6
Airing since 1983, Live… has had various hosts over the years, most notably the late Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford. Today, Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest are the morning show personalities for a new generation. They have been hosting together since 2007, Ripa since 2001.
With 31 seasons under its belt, the show wakes many people up in the morning with hilarious bits, trivia, unscripted conversations, prizes, and interviews.
3 The Today Show – 4.7
As the longest-running morning talk show mentioned, this morning news and talk show has aired for 68 seasons totaling over 18,000 episodes. So, it's bound to have a low rating as fans weigh in on episodes they like and ones they don't. It includes three segments, starting from 7 a.m. on weekday mornings through to 11 a.m.
The team includes well-known personalities like Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, and Carson Daly who discuss current events, welcome guests, musical performances, and more for a full morning of topical discussions and fun hijinks. It is the fifth longest-running American TV series.
2 The Kelly Clarkson Show – 5.4
The newest show on the list with just one season, the talented music artist has proven herself to be an engaging TV personality as well with this variety talk show, which debuted in 2019. Already, the show has earned three Daytime Emmy Awards.
Clarkson aims to differentiate from other daytime talk shows by adopting a casual and fun format that highlights regular yet remarkable people and their inspiring stories, surprising deserving individuals with celebrity guests, and featuring musical performances.
1 The Ellen DeGeneres Show – 7.0
In spite of its controversies, The Ellen DeGeneres Show remains the top daytime talk show, by a mile. It features the unique stylings of DeGeneres, including her signature dancing, interaction with the audience, and celebrity guests. Sometimes the guests are average Joes who were invited on the show because of an inspirational story or viral video depicting a special talent.
Airing since 2003, the show has received an incredible 171 Daytime Emmy Award nominations, winning an equally impressive 61 of them.