The View Makes a Goldberg of a Choice

With two disastrous departures to its credit, Barbara Walters and ABC's The View, look to begin fresh this fall. Now that the Rosie O'Donnell, Elisabeth Hasselback fiasco is over, The View has chosen to replace Rosie and last season's disruption, Star Jones with Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd.

When Rosie O'Donnell and ABC were unable to agree on a long-term contract, Rosie chose not to return but committed to co-hosting a specific number of shows next season which begins in a few weeks. However, those plans changed in May when Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselback's political views erupted in a violent argument during a taping of the show. With O'Donnell feeling left out in the cold by Hasselback, she made the choice to decline returning for stint duty on The View.

The political debate had been a hot-button issue for Rosie and Elisabeth since the season began as ultra-liberal O'Donnell and equally ultra-conservative Hasselback sided on opposite ends of the political spectrum about the war in Iraq, President George Bush, and immigration. With neither of them backing down from their stances, viewers knew it knockdown, drag out was soon to occur. In fact, their daily rants had become talk fodder, as cable news stations like CNN and MSNBC aired their political diatribes like clockwork.

Tensions exploded when Joy Behar, another View co-host, started the avalanche with questions about Iraq and Hasselback's continued support of President Bush's war policy. Behar had a list of Bushisms and was rolling down the list before Hasselback whose head was beginning to erupt. But with a perspective shaped by her choosing to TiVo Al Gore's interview on CNN for Dancing with the Stars, what else could you expect? By the time Behar was finished, Elisabeth Hasselback was steaming and Rosie O'Donnell was amped to hit Hasselback with a few solid shots to the body.

When it was all over, Rosie was gone and The View was again without a full returning cast at the discussion table. With the hiring of Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd, The View fills both available slots. Rosie had been brought in to replace Meredith Veira who had moved to NBC. Star Jones' seat was never replaced.

With both Goldberg and Shepherd experienced at The View, having sat in many times, the perspective of The View will certainly be impacted by two strong, cultured Black women. That point cannot be avoided but certainly is not a major issue on a show with a diverse viewership like The View. In Goldberg, The View gets a woman just as opinionated as O'Donnell, but someone less demonstrative. Oftentimes, O'Donnell was her own worst enemy. Despite her sound critique of the world, it was often lost in the image and presentation of the opinion. Goldberg will be equally talkative, but her presentation will be soft serve as opposed to the take it or leave it variety offered by Rosie O'Donnell.

In Shepherd, The View brings back the calming voice that restored order on the set the day of the O'Donnell-Hasselback debacle. While she may not be as recognized as Whoopi Goldberg is, do not expect Sherri Shepherd to cow-tow to Goldberg or Hasselback. With a background that includes her husband fathering a child outside of their marriage and their subsequent reconciliation, Shepherd brings a dynamic to the table that will explore various issues at the View's table.

As The View begins its eleventh season, the Barbara Walters guided show should be equally entertaining and developed. With a different host everyday, the show has lost a bit of its luster and continuity. What will be interesting is to see whose influence rules at the table. Will Behar or Hasselback reign supreme or will Goldberg and Shepherd or some other combination, dominate the daily conversations?

With production set to begin, those answers will be answer shortly. In the meantime, it is a new day at The View. One can only hope that the new hosts get the time to enjoy The View.