Celebrity chef Robert Irvine is setting aside his pots and pans for his latest TV series, a “Dr. Phil”-esque talk show from Tribune Studios to air on CW stations.
“The Robert Irvine Show” will take the place of “The Bill Cunningham Show” in the 3 p.m. Monday-Friday slot on Tribune-owned stations and other CW affiliates starting in September. The series will feature Irvine — known for hosting Food Network’s “Restaurant: Impossible” and for his regular appearances on foodie TV shows — dishing up tough-love advice and conflict resolution options for everyday people facing a range of problems.
John Irwin (“Couples/Family Therapy”) is exec producing “Robert Irvine” with Irvine and Andrew Scher (“The Doctors”). The series will originate in Los Angeles.
Irvine has spent 25 years building his profile as a culinary star, and he’s also known as a fitness buff. But he’s sought to expand his TV menu with a non-food series for the past several years. The talk show had been in development at Tribune for some time.
When Cunningham decided to end his five-year run in syndication with Tribune, picking up the Irvine show was a natural choice, according to Sean Compton, president of strategic programming and acquisitions for Tribune Media. Tribune through its affiliation pact with the CW has the right to program the 3 p.m. hour for the network’s affiliate stations. Tribune may also try to expand the show’s distribution in first-run syndication outside of the CW footprint.
“It’s really important for Tribune and for CW affiliates that (the 3 p.m. hour) has a great show,” Compton told Variety. “We had been talking to Robert for a long time and this opportunity seemed like a good chance to get him on the air sooner rather than later. We think people are going to respond to seeing a side of Robert outside the kitchen.”
“Robert Irvine” is set to begin production in mid-July. It’s not clear how the demands of the daily talk show will affect the future of “Restaurant: Impossible” or Irvine’s workload for Food Network.
“I’m working on different projects with Food Network right now but this is my priority,” Irvine said.
