Andy Cohen’s ‘Watch What Happens Live’ Gets New Digs, Title for 2017 (EXCLUSIVE)
Bravo’s late-night talk show “Watch What Happens Live” is getting a makeover in the new year.
The freewheeling chatfest hosted by Andy Cohen will move to a significantly larger studio starting Jan. 3. In a nod to the host’s longevity, the half-hour show’s official title will be changed to “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.”
The new set, which will remain at the show’s existing West Village studio facility, will retain the “clubhouse” look and feel that has been Cohen’s signature since the program began in 2009 as a weekly series focused on the antics of Bravo’s “Real Housewives” personalities. “WWHL” quickly expanded to a twice-weekly format and then to a nightly Sunday-Thursday schedule in 2012.
“Our new clubhouse is the perfect upgrade for us because it won’t lose any of the intimacy or lunacy provided by our current home,” said Cohen, who is also an exec producer. “We’re going from an audience of 22 to about 50, plus we have roof access and a whole lot of new surprises. It’s like moving from a Tic Tac to a studio apartment.”
The new set will feature a built-in performance space for musical guests. The 11 p.m. show is the only nightly late-night entry to air live (on the East Coast). From its inception, “WWHL” has embraced the two-way communication with viewers facilitated by social media, allowing fans to guide the direction of the show virtually in real-time.
“Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” hails from Embassy Row with Cohen, Michael Davies and Deirdre Connolly serving as exec producers.
Cohen spent 10 years as a producer with CBS News, before moving to the now-departed entertainment cabler Trio in 2000 and to Bravo as a development executive in 2005.
The show’s updated logo is below:
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