Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd, has been renewed through the 2024-25 TV season on its launch group, the Fox Television Stations, as well as on the Cox Media, Sinclair and Nexstar station groups. Sherri is produced by Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, which produced the rookie daytime talker’s predecessor, Wendy Williams.
“I am so thrilled that Sherri has been renewed for two more years,” said Shepherd in a statement. “I launched this show with the mission to give daytime viewers a 'good time,' just like my theme song says. I am so appreciative that Fox and Debmar-Mercury have partnered with me to continue bringing more laughter, joy and inspiration to my audience."
Shepherd guest-hosted Wendy Williams during the 2021-22 TV season when Williams had to sit out due to health problems, and ultimately could not return. Shepherd was an immediate hit with viewers, causing Debmar-Mercury and Fox to both express early interest in developing a talk show with her.
Sherri premiered this fall, occupying Wendy Williams's former time slots across many Fox-owned stations in top markets.
“In success, the hour leading out of AM news can act as a springboard for a station’s entire daytime, and it’s not easy to find the right fit. Sherri’s mix of professionalism and competitive strength has been a great fit for us, so we’re happy to be bringing her program back," said Frank Cicha, executive VP, programming, Fox Television Stations, also in a statement.
Sherri was initially sold to TV stations in a one-year deal, but in a crowded environment in which stability is the only way viewers can find a show and make it a habit to watch, it makes sense to renew for longer terms when possible.
“We initially sold Sherri for one year based on our strong belief that this extraordinarily talented host would be successful and her show would become a long-term talk franchise,” Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus said. “Our thanks go to our good friends and longtime partners at Fox, who shared in our enthusiasm and have renewed their faith in Sherri with this long-term commitment.”
Sherri, which has been averaging a 0.7 live-plus-same-day national household rating for most of this season, according to Nielsen, is cleared in 98% of the U.S. The show is shot before a live studio audience at New York’s Chelsea Studios.
Sherri joins Jennifer Hudson as the first two new syndicated shows this season to earn renewals. Fox is also expected to pick up CBS’s new game show, Pictionary, for another season. Still waiting for their pickup papers are NBCUniversal’s Karamo, starring Karamo Brown, and Trifecta’s iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas, the host of which just took a nightly gig at Nexstar’s NewsNation. Allen Media Group’s We the People with Judge Lauren Lake is highly likely to return because Allen rarely cancels its syndicated programs, extracting value out of its court shows by airing them in blocks, selling ads across those blocks and putting them on auxiliary platforms owned by Allen.
Because most, if not all, of this year’s rookie shows are expected to be renewed, new development is looking slim for next year. That said, Allen Media Group plans to launch its seventh court show, Equal Justice with Judge Eboni K. Williams; Debmar-Mercury is offering off-Game Show Network People Puzzler, hosted by Leah Remini; and PPI Releasing is shopping Michaela, a Canadian talk show starring former Good Day LA host Michaela Pereira. ■
