“The Drew Barrymore Show” sets return: Here's everything you need to know about the“ ”new season
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All eyes are on Drew Barrymore as she heads back to her sunshine yellow set for another season of her Daytime Emmy–winning talk show.
The Drew Barrymore Show is set to make its comeback on Oct. 16, less than a month after it sparked intense backlash for announcing its return amid the ongoing actors' strike and the recently ended writers' strike. In response, the series, in which Barrymore chats with fellow celebrities and lifestyle influencers about myriad everyday topics, decided to postpone its season until the writers' strike had concluded. Now, with it over, the host is preparing to step into the spotlight again.
Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming season of the show, including when and where it airs and the details of the backlash surrounding its original plans to return.
Paramount Drew Barrymore and Ross Matthews on 'The Drew Barrymore Show'
How can I watch the new season of The Drew Barrymore Show?
The talk show's fourth season kicks off Monday, Oct. 16, on CBS. Check your local listings for more information.
What can I expect from the show?
Monday's episode will see Barrymore bidding bye-bye to the Big Apple for Sin City as she travels to Las Vegas to catch up with country superstar Shania Twain. An Instagram clip published ahead of the series opener revealed that the pair will, in part, discuss the importance of embracing change as well as the grief Twain felt when losing her voice.
Over the course of the season, Barrymore will sit down with various influencers and lifestyle gurus to discuss their latest life hacks, celebrity news, recipes, and more during each of the series' 30-minute episodes. It will also feature the return of several fan-favorite segments like "Design by Drew," "Cookbook Club," and "Drew-Gooders," which spotlights individuals who are performing good deeds.
Season 4 will also introduce a new member of the Drew Crew: celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton. The coiffeur joins Barrymore's team of guest stars — which includes her "Drew's News" co-anchor Ross Mathews, interior designer Mikel Welch, chef Pilar Valdes, and sustainable living guru Danny Seo — and will dole out his haircare tips and tricks across the show's latest episodes.
The series is also introducing a new segment titled "Take Care Everywhere," which will feature Barrymore and the Menopause Bootcamp founder Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz discussing medical issues that people are often too embarrassed to talk about with their doctors.
Why did The Drew Barrymore Show get hit with backlash?
The Drew Barrymore Show and its host courted controversy in September for its decision to resume production amid the ongoing actors' strike and the recently ended writers' strike. The series itself was not in violation of the SAG-AFTRA strike because it technically falls under the Network Television Code contract, which is separate from the contracts that expired in July and subsequently launched the strike.
Barrymore, a member of SAG-AFTRA, previously insisted in an Instagram post that the show's return would be "in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind," according to the actors' strike rules. When season 4 was first announced, a CBS spokesperson confirmed to EW that the series would "not be performing any writing work covered by the WGA strike" either.
However, by returning without them, the show was effectively leaving its WGA writers behind. "The [Drew Barrymore Show] is a WGA-covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers," the WGA-East stated on social media. "The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike. Any writing on The Drew Barrymore Show is in violation of WGA strike rules." It is worth noting that other talk shows, like The View, had been recording new episodes without their WGA staff members at the time.
The talk show drew further ire after two audience members claimed that they were removed from a taping for wearing WGA pins that picketers gave them on their way to the set. A spokesperson for The Drew Barrymore Show told EW in a statement that Barrymore was "completely unaware of the incident" and that their team was "in the process of reaching out to the affected audience members to offer them new tickets."
One of the talk show's writers, Cristina Kinon, told The Daily Beast that she was disappointed to see Barrymore resume production on the series without its writing team. "It is frustrating," she said, "because it will prolong the strike, and we just want it to end." Kinon, alongside fellow WGA-member staff writers Chelsea White and Liz Koe, later declined to return to The Drew Barrymore Show after the strike was over.
How did Barrymore and CBS respond to the controversy?
Barrymore, who previously stepped down from hosting the MTV TV & Movie Awards in solidarity with the writers' strikes and was later dropped from hosting the National Book Awards amid the show controversy, apologized and said she'll continue to take "full responsibility" for her actions in a since-deleted Instagram video. "There's nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it okay," she said. "I wanted to own a decision so that it wasn't a PR-protected situation and I would just take full responsibility for my actions. I know there's nothing I can do to make this okay for those it is not okay with. I fully accept that."
At the time, the host explained that she made the decision to bring back the series because "this is bigger than me and there other peoples' jobs on the line." However, in response to the backlash, Barrymore announced that the show would be put on pause "until the strike is over."
"I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today," she wrote on social media. "We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon."
CBS issued a statement to EW when the show's fourth season was initially announced. "While our show has been largely an unscripted talk show from the beginning, the new shows we are producing this season will be completely unscripted until the strike ends," it read in part. "No one on our staff will fill a writing position. If you watch the show, it is obvious that Drew has always brought raw, unfiltered, spontaneous, open, and honest conversations to her viewers, and that will continue. The show also moves forward with important consideration to our staff and crew comprised of over 150 people, as well as our loyal viewers. We fully support Drew and her entire team 100 percent."
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