Daytime Divas

Daytime Divas is an American satirical comedy-drama television series developed by Amy and Wendy Engelberg for VH1.[1] It is based on the 2011 book Satan's Sisters by former co-host of The View Star Jones.[2] The show stars Vanessa Williams, Chloe Bridges, Camille Guaty, Fiona Gubelmann, and McKinley Freeman.[3] Principal photography began in August 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia.[4] The series premiered on June 5, 2017.[4][5] On November 1, 2017, VH1 cancelled the series after one season.[6]

Daytime Divas
Genre
Based onSatan's Sisters
by Star Jones
Developed byAmy and Wendy Engelberg
Starring
Composer(s)Scott Starrett
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Star Jones
  • Josh Berman
  • Chris Alberghini
  • Mike Chessler
  • Amy Engelberg
  • Wendy Engelberg
  • Suzanne DePasse
  • Madison Jones
  • Susan Levison
Production location(s)Atlanta, Georgia
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time40 minutes
Production company(s)
DistributorSony Pictures Television
Release
Original networkVH1
Picture format1080i (16:9 HDTV)
Original releaseJune 5 (2017-06-05) –
July 31, 2017 (2017-07-31)
External links
Website

Premise

Maxine is the creator and lead host of the popular daytime television talk show The Lunch Hour, which also includes co-hosts Mo, Kibby, Nina, and Heather. On-air, they are great friends, but behind the scenes, they live in a world of power struggles and super-egos. Meanwhile, Maxine's former assistant, Anna, returns as the hard investigative journalist working for a great magazine, who wants to expose the truth about Maxine.

Cast

Main
  • Vanessa Williams as Maxine Robinson, the creator and lead host of the daytime television show The Lunch Hour. She is one of the greatest personalities on American television and mother of Shawn[7]
  • Chloe Bridges as Kibby Ainsley, a former child star and recovering addict who is one of the co-hosts[8]
  • Camille Guaty as Nina Sandoval, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and one of the co-hosts[8]
  • Fiona Gubelmann as Heather Flynn-Kellogg, an outspoken conservative and one of the co-hosts[8]
  • McKinley Freeman as Shawn Robinson, the producer of The Lunch Hour and Maxine's adopted son[8]

Recurring
  • Tichina Arnold (credited as a "special guest star") as Mo Evans, an eccentric comedienne and one of the show's co-hosts[8]
  • Niko Pepaj as Leon, an ambitious head production assistant[9]
  • Sarah Mack as Ramona Davies, a production assistant
  • Tammy Blanchard as Sheree Ainsley, Kibby's scheming mother[10]
  • Ness Bautista as Andrew Weller, Nina's husband and a rising politician[10]
  • Rich McDonald as Brad Kellogg, Heather's husband and a race car driver
  • Adam J. Harrington as Jason Abel, a network president
  • Norm Lewis as William Tomas, the doorman at Maxine's co-op building, who knows some of her darkest secrets[11]
  • Kristen Johnston as Anna Crouse, Maxine's former assistant and current editor-in-chief of a great magazine, who wants to expose the truth about the behind the scenes of The Lunch Hour[12]
  • Cassady McClincy as Tandy Ainsley, Kibby's younger sister
  • Scott Evans as Julian, a celebrity sober coach who helps Kibby keep her life on track[11]

Guest

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"J. Miller TobinTeleplay by: Amy Engelberg & Wendy EngelbergJune 5, 2017 (2017-06-05)1.28[14]
Kibby is introduced as the newest co-host on The Lunch Hour. Mo goes viral after joking about Maxine's vagina on air, angering Maxine. Nina is having trouble getting pregnant due to Andrew's infertility, while having an affair with Shawn. Heather and Brad clash over how to raise their transgender child. When a routine facelift sends Maxine into a coma, her co-hosts start vying for her coveted left chair. Leon blackmails Mo with a sex video of them after she breaks up with him. Following an encounter with her scheming mother, Kibby relapses and is nearly arrested. After three days in a coma, Maxine awakens to discover that her co-hosts—with the exception of Kibby—have been attempting to steal her chair.
2"Coma Bump"Michael GrossmanChris AlberghiniJune 12, 2017 (2017-06-12)1.02[15]
Maxine makes a surprise comeback on The Lunch Hour. Kibby confronts her mother to be a better parent to Tandy. Shawn insists that Nina leaves Andrew so they can be together, and she reveals that she is pregnant. Mo threatens to expose the real reason behind Maxine's coma, but her plan backfires when Maxine confesses on the show that she was about to undergo cosmetic surgery before her body rejected the anesthesia.
3"Blind Items"Tamra DavisMike ChesslerJune 19, 2017 (2017-06-19)1.11[16]
Maxine is worried when she learns that her former assistant Anna Crouse is writing a tell-all book about her. To make matters worse, Nina and Shawn's affair makes it onto "Page Six" as a blind item. Andrew tells Nina he knows she is already pregnant by another man, threatening to ruin her career if she does not stay with him until after his run for Congress. Maxine hires celebrity sober coach Julian to help Kibby keep her life on track. After finding footage of Mo and Leon having sex on Maxine's chair, Maxine fires Mo from the show.
4"Shut It Down"Michael LangeJon Kinnally & Tracy PoustJune 26, 2017 (2017-06-26)0.92[17]
Heather is intimidated by the show's new guest co-host, lifestyle expert Portia Camden, before realizing she might be attracted to her. Kibby is tasked with making amends with her former Lacey from Outer Spacey co-star Maddie Finn on air, after previously assaulting her during filming. Since Anna refuses to stop writing her tell-all book, Maxine sabotages Anna's interview with Sia twice, getting Anna fired from her current job. Anna ultimately agrees to drop the book, on the condition that Maxine hires her as a co-host on The Lunch Hour. After learning that Andrew already knows that Shawn is the father of Nina's baby, Shawn punches Andrew at Heather's listening party and reveals to everyone that Nina is actually pregnant with his baby.
5"Baby Daddy Drama"Michael GrossmanDavah AvenaJuly 3, 2017 (2017-07-03)0.80[18]
The reveal of Nina and Shawn's affair causes a media feeding frenzy, prompting Maxine to hire a crisis manager to do damage control. Nina reluctantly agrees to read a statement about her predicament on the show. However, Anna, on her first day as a guest co-host, attempts to stir the pot by taking jabs at Nina's marital problems, angering Andrew and causing Nina to storm off the show. Julian encourages Kibby to take a college class, but she ends up getting expelled for making a scene in class. Maxine convinces Nina to return to the show, offering to help her deal with Andrew. In return, Nina helps Maxine take down Anna by exposing her police report for stalking her former co-worker and attacking his wife. Maxine ultimately fires Anna, who vows to resume work on her tell-all book. Nina reveals to Shawn that she took the article that earned her a Pulitzer from a missing reporter and published it under her name.
6"We Are Family"Bille WoodruffRyan O'ConnellJuly 10, 2017 (2017-07-10)1.13[19]
Julian convinces Kibby to throw a party to celebrate one year of sobriety. The show's new guest co-host, Cecile James, sets Maxine up on a blind date with a real estate mogul. Tension increases between Nina and Shawn after she revealed the truth about her Pulitzer. Heather discovers online that Brad is cheating on her with a younger model. Detective Stagliano questions William about Maxine's deceased husband, Ted. Things go awry at Kibby's sobriety party when she walks in on a drunken Heather trying to perform oral sex on Julian. Kibby admits to Maxine that she relapsed while Maxine was in a coma. When Kibby and Julian confess their feelings for each other, he feels it is inappropriate and decides to resign. Shawn breaks up with Nina after she implies he might tell other people about her secret.
7"Truth's a Mutha"Dwight LittleThembi Banks & Rochee Jeffrey
Story by Bryce Dallas Howard		July 17, 2017 (2017-07-17)1.08[20]
Heather befriends the new transgender guest co-host, Janet Mock, pestering her with transgender-related questions. A visit by William's overbearing mother threatens to expose his relationship with Maxine. Nina and Shawn argue over custody of their unborn child. Kibby panics when she learns that a former Lacey from Outer Spacey co-star, Vance Gordon, is booked to appear on the show. Detective Stagliano furthers his investigation into Ted's death. Heather reveals to her co-hosts that she has a transgender daughter, while Maxine decides to make her relationship with William public on the show. After Nina is held hostage in an elevator by a crazed fan, she and Shawn reconcile.
8"And the Loser Is..."J. Miller TobinJon Kinnally & Tracy PoustJuly 24, 2017 (2017-07-24)1.01[21]
Mo appears as a guest on The Lunch Hour's rival show, Morning Talk, prompting rumors that she is in talks to become a permanent co-host on that show. Jason tries to convince Maxine to rehire Mo, following unsuccessful attempts to find a replacement for her. William struggles with the media scrutiny over his relationship with Maxine. Kibby has an uncomfortable run-in with Vance at the Daytime Television Awards, which causes her to relapse. Meanwhile, Heather rekindles her relationship with Brad. After The Lunch Hour surprisingly beats Morning Talk at the Daytime Television Awards, Maxine invites Mo back to the show, only to discover that Mo lied about the offer from Morning Talk. Shawn suspects that Maxine is hiding something about the night Ted died.
9"Whose Show Is It Anyway?"Lev L. SpiroMike Chessler & Chris AlberghiniJuly 31, 2017 (2017-07-31)1.00[22]
Kibby falls into a downward spiral of drug abuse after learning that her mother landed Tandy an audition for Vance's new sitcom. When Mo auditions for a role on Vance's sitcom, Maxine sees this as an opportunity to keep her away from The Lunch Hour. Maxine and Shawn both receive subpoenas requesting their phone records. Heather reveals she carries a gun in her purse, shocking her co-hosts. Vance agrees to not to hire Tandy after Kibby threatens to expose him. After Maxine gets rid of the subpoenas, Nina goes to Anna, who claims to have evidence that Maxine murdered Ted. Nina uses that information to confront Maxine, demanding that she tell Shawn the truth. Kibby behaves erratically during Vance's guest appearance on The Lunch Hour. To make matters worse, Tandy appears as a surprise guest to announce she will be playing Vance's daughter on his sitcom. In the backstage, Kibby takes Heather's gun and aims it at Vance. Ramona manages to tackle Kibby to the ground, but the gun accidentally goes off.
10"Lunch Is on Us"Peter LauerAmy Engelberg & Wendy EngelbergJuly 31, 2017 (2017-07-31)0.65[22]
Kibby reveals to Maxine that Vance abused her and led her into drugs when she was younger. Although no one was critically injured after Heather's gun went off, Jason forces Maxine to fire Kibby temporarily. Anna plays Nina a tape of Maxine and Ted arguing the night he died, but the low quality makes it difficult to identify Ted's killer. During a live stream, Kibby denounces Vance as a predator—with the help of another one of his victims, Maddie—and later rejoins The Lunch Hour. After Nina steals Anna's tape and has it restored, Nina discovers that Shawn killed Ted. Maxine explains to Nina that after Ted became violent, Shawn attacked him in a drunken rage, and she asked William to help her make it look like an accident. Shawn, however, has little recollection of the incident. Anna blackmails Maxine upon discovering the truth about Ted's death. In order to protect Shawn, Maxine claims on air that she killed Ted in self-defense and gets arrested. Nina reveals to Anna that she stole her Pulitzer; in exchange, Shawn must never know he was the one who killed Ted. Nevertheless, Shawn listens to the tape and learns the truth.

Production

On February 18, 2016, VH1 announced a television adaptation of Star Jones' best-selling book Satan's Sisters for 2017.[2] The series is based on real behind-the-scenes events of The View, which Jones appeared on between 1997 and 2006.[23] Vanessa Williams was announced as lead role on March 1.[7] The show's head writers are Amy and Wendy Engelberg; it is directed by J. Miller Tobin.[24] Production began in August 2016,[4] and the series was retitled Daytime Divas.[25] Tichina Arnold, Chloe Bridges, Camille Guaty and Fiona Gubelmann were announced as the other co-lead roles on August 22.[8]

Reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 63% based on eight reviews, with an average rating of 6.45/10.[26] On Metacritic, the show has a score of 53 out of 100 based on four reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[27]

References
  1. Pedersen, Erik (February 18, 2016). "VH1 Assembles 'Satan's Sisters', Scripted Drama Based On Star Jones' 'View'-Esque Novel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  2. "VH1 Announces New Scripted Series Satan's Sisters Inspired by Star Jones' Book". VH1. February 18, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  3. Agard, Chancellor (November 3, 2016). "Daytime Divas: Meet the women in Star Jones' View-inspired series". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  4. Petski, Denise (August 22, 2016). "VH1's Star Jones Drama Series Sets Cast; Chris Alberghini & Mike Chessler To Showrun". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  5. Serrao, Nivea (April 17, 2017). "Watch VH1's Daytime Divas put on a 'sh-- show' in exclusive trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  6. Swift, Andy (November 1, 2017). "Daytime Divas Cancelled at VH1". TVLine. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  7. Petski, Denise (March 1, 2016). "Vanessa Williams To Star In 'Satan's Sisters' Drama Series At VH1". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  8. Ausiello, Michael (August 22, 2016). "VH1's View-Skewering Drama Series Daytime Divas Adds Tichina Arnold, Chloe Bridges, Camille Guaty". TVLine. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  9. Petski, Denise (August 31, 2016). "'Daytime Divas' Casts Niko Pepaj; 'MadTV' Adds Anjelah Johnson". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  10. Lincoln, Ross A. (January 13, 2017). "Star Jones, Tamera Mowry-Housley, & 'The View' Co-Hosts To Guest On VH1's 'Daytime Divas'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  11. Petski, Denise (November 3, 2016). "'Daytime Divas': Kelly Osbourne, La La Anthony, Six More Join Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  12. Swift, Andy (November 3, 2016). "VH1's Daytime Divas: Kristen Johnston, Patti LaBelle Among Latest Castings". TVline. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  13. Nededog, Jethro (November 21, 2016). "An MTV star is going to shake up VH1's upcoming scripted drama inspired by 'The View'". Business Insider. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  14. Welch, Alex (June 6, 2017). "Monday cable ratings: 'Love & Hip Hop' wins the night, 'Better Call Saul' dips". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  15. Welch, Alex (June 13, 2017). "Monday cable ratings: 'Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta' leads, 'WWE Raw' dips". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  16. Welch, Alex (June 20, 2017). "Monday cable ratings: 'Better Call Saul' season finale ticks up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  17. Welch, Alex (June 27, 2017). "Monday cable ratings: 'WWE Raw' holds steady, 'Preacher' dips". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  18. Porter, Rick (July 6, 2017). "Monday cable ratings: 'Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta' dips but stays on top". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  19. Welch, Alex (July 11, 2017). "Monday cable ratings: Home Run Derby leads the night, 'Preacher' holds steady". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  20. Welch, Alex (July 18, 2017). "Monday cable ratings: 'Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta' and 'WWE Raw' tick up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  21. Welch, Alex (July 25, 2017). "Monday cable ratings: 'Preacher' holds steady, 'Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood' premieres". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  22. Welch, Alex (August 1, 2017). "Monday cable ratings: 'Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood' leads, 'WWE Raw' holds steady". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  23. "Emmy Award-Winning Actress Kristen Johnston and Norm Lewis Join VH1's "Daytime Divas" in Recurring Roles" (Press release). New York: VH1. November 3, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  24. Andreeva, Nellie (May 20, 2016). "Upfronts 2016: The Overachievers". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  25. "Star Jones' VH1 Series Gets a New Title, 'Daytime Divas'". Essence. August 23, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  26. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/daytime_divas/s01
  27. "Daytime Divas". Metacritic. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
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