''Oprah Prime'' (formerly ''Oprah's Next Chapter'') is an American prime-time television series hosted and produced by
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...
, airing on
Oprah Winfrey Network
The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN, also known as the OWN Network) is an American multinational basic cable television network which launched on January 1, 2011, effectively replacing the Discovery Health Channel, which one month later merged with ...
. The series premiered on January 1, 2012, with a two-part episode featuring
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
frontman
Steven Tyler
Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer and songwriter. Tyler is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the keyboards, h ...
. The third season brought a new series title, ''Oprah Prime'', and premiered on March 9, 2014.
Background
''Oprah Prime'' is an interview program that allows
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...
to step "outside of the studio for some riveting, enlightening in-depth conversations with newsmakers, celebrities, thought leaders and real-life families."
['OWN Announces the Premiere of Oprah's Next Chapter'](_blank)
''Oprah.com'' November 18, 2011 The decision to launch ''Oprah Prime'' was made after Oprah reflected on her 25 years on television. "After 25 years I got myself out of the studio chairs. I moved into the next chapter, and I am having more fun than ever – moving around the country and the world talking to people I’m really interested in getting to know and I think viewers will be, too," said Winfrey. "It is so energizing to be out and about in the world exploring new people, new places and new ideas."
Series overview
Season 1 (2012)
Season 1 of ''Oprah's Next Chapter'' debuted on
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network on Sunday January 1, 2012 at 9:00 p.m. ET with a two-part series premiere featuring
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
frontman
Steven Tyler
Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer and songwriter. Tyler is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the keyboards, h ...
.
Throughout the first season, Oprah interviews
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
's
Steven Tyler
Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer and songwriter. Tyler is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the keyboards, h ...
at his New Hampshire home; journeys to Haiti with
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...
nearly two years after
a devastating earthquake took the lives of more than 300,000 people; tours Skywalker Ranch with
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
as her personal guide; has a slumber party at Southern chef
Paula Deen's Georgia estate; and travels to
a small town in Iowa devoted to the practice of
Transcendental Meditation.
On January 24, 2012, it was announced that as a result of its high ratings, ''Oprah's Next Chapter'' would be airing two nights per week in February, as two-part episodes that run one hour each.
['"Oprah's Next Chapter" Expands to Second Night After Recent Rebound'](_blank)
''Hollywood Reporter'' January 24, 2012
On April 27, 2012, OWN announced that new episodes of ''Oprah's Next Chapter'' would continue airing throughout the summer. These episodes "will feature Winfrey visiting ''
How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...
'' star
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...
in his
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
home, where she'll meet his husband-to-be and his fraternal twin babies. She'll also head to
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
to meet with a faith healer and 'psychic surgeon.' The host will watch his controversial procedures as they're performed without anesthesia or sterilization."
Season 2 (2012–13)
Season 2 of ''Oprah's Next Chapter'' premiered on July 22, 2012, featuring an interview with 10 U.S. Olympic athletes at Oprah's home in
Montecito, California. Upcoming episodes were scheduled to feature
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained fame for his role as the psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984–1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993–2004, and again F ...
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, producer, and talk show host. Having received List of awards and nominations received by Jennifer Hudson, numerous accolades for ...
,
Bette Midler
Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...
,
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
.
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, talk show host, and businesswoman. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she has received multiple List of awards and nominations received by Drew Barrymore, awards a ...
,
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip ho ...
, and
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
's mother
Cissy Houston.
On January 17 and 18, 2013, OWN broadcast a two-part special interview with former cyclist
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong (''né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist. He achieved international fame for winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times fro ...
, in his first interview after being charged with
use of performance-enhancing drugs. The first half of the interview was seen by 3.2 million viewers in the United States.
Season 3 (2014–15)
For season 3, which premiered on March 9, 2014, the series was renamed ''Oprah Prime''.
Network president Sheri Salata explained that "as the show has evolved into more topical conversations with newsmakers and celebrities, ''Oprah Prime'' provides a wider lens for Oprah to intimately explore topics that matter and the public figures who are making a difference, as only she can.".
Reception
Critical reception
''Oprah's Next Chapter'' debuted to generally positive reviews. Sara Vilkomerson of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' stated that the premiere with Steven Tyler showcased Winfrey's trademark skills as "a master interviewer. It’s easy to take for granted, but Winfrey has both an innate ability to get celebrities to open up to her, and zero hesitation over asking tough questions." Vilkomerson further praised the show's behind-the-scenes segments and noted that the show has a more relaxed feel than ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...
'', which might take some time for viewers to adjust to.
Piers Morgan
Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; O'Meara, born 30 March 1965) is an English journalist and media personality. He began his career in 1988 at the tabloid ''The Sun (United Kingdom), The Sun''. In 1994, at the age of 29, he was appointed editor of ...
also praised the show on his Facebook page, saying that it was "fantastic" and that Winfrey was "the undisputed Queen of chat".
Further, Steve Johnson of ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' declared that Winfrey "knows how to steer a celebrity chat" and that her discussion with Tyler in the premiere was "fascinating". On the other hand, Johnson criticized the show's tendency to focus too much on the host; he posits that producers use the behind-the-scenes segments to reveal that Winfrey is the "orchestrator and validator" of the program's revealing conversations.
Ratings
The two-hour premiere of ''Oprah's Next Chapter'' gave OWN its highest ratings for a Sunday premiere since the network's January 2011 launch weekend, scoring a 1.1 rating in the network's target women 25-54 demographic and 1.1 million total viewers. To put these numbers in context, the ''Oprah's Next Chapter'' premiere represented a 463 percent increase in the demo over the network's December 2011 average in that time period. Only the premiere of ''
Season 25: Oprah Behind The Scenes'', which aired on January 1, 2011, has scored better than the ''Next Chapter'' premiere, drawing a 1.11 in the demo and 1.2 million total viewers."
According to affiliate ratings, the second week, featuring Winfrey's interview with pastor
Joel Osteen, "brought in an audience of 1.6 million during its Sunday night broadcast. It marks a 45 percent growth from the series premiere, and now holds the network record of being the most-watched broadcast since its 2011 launch. It also improved among the women 25-54 demographic, adding 18 percent from the previous episode for a 1.3 rating. The series also built on its audience in the second half-hour, growing from 1.5 million to 1.6 million."
The third week of the show saw a steep decline in viewership as Winfrey's interview with
Chris Christie
Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...
drew in only 500,000 viewers on OWN - down over 1 million viewers from the week before. However the following week's interview with
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
saw a slight increase, with 557,000 viewers on OWN.
An interview with
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
's family, including her daughter
Bobbi Kristina Brown, attracted 3.5 million viewers. Until the fifth episode of the second season of ''
The Haves and the Have Nots'' (3.6 million viewers), it was OWN's highest-rated program to date.
'Oprah's Next Chapter Interview Brings in Record Ratings'
''Huffington Post'' March 12, 2012
Awards and nominations
References
External links
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{{Oprah Winfrey Network programs, state=collapsed
2012 American television series debuts
2015 American television series endings
American English-language television shows
Oprah Winfrey Network original programming
Television series by Harpo Productions
Oprah Winfrey