"Queer Eye" guy gets TV talk show at Lifetime

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In a rare move for a cable network, Lifetime is looking to launch a daytime talk show, handing out a pilot order for a project hosted by "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" veteran Carson Kressley.

The format is still being worked out but it's intended to focus on real people rather than celebrities, said Jessica Samet, Lifetime's senior vp reality programming.

For example, instead of Kressley interviewing Tom Cruise, he might interview the actor's "fifth grade math teacher," she said.

Fashion also will be a big component, given Kressley's knowledge in that arena. But instead of traveling to Paris for fashion week, he might travel to Paris, Ky., and help the women put together a couture look by shopping at Target, Samet said.

Kressley is expected to announce the project at the TV Critics Assn.'s press tour Friday, when he promotes the second season of the Lifetime reality series "How to Look Good Naked," which he hosts.

The talk show is part of an effort by the female-centered cable network to add original programming during the day, when it currently airs mostly old reruns, including "The Nanny" and "The Golden Girls." Both of those sitcoms are moving off the schedule next year to rival networks.

"We've always run sitcoms in the daytime, and some of those are starting to run out," said Samet. "We thought it would be a nice idea to try to replace those with reality programming."

Daytime talk shows in cable are very rare. Oxygen's two-hour "Pure Oxygen" has the field virtually to itself. Samet said Lifetime likely would not be looking to a talk show were it not for Kressley.

"We don't know that we would do it without him," she said. "He is so articulate and funny, and he is totally accessible. To dive into the talk show world, which is a difficult thing to launch in cable, you need a personality attached that is known. He is perfect for our demo."

The pilot is scheduled to shoot in September.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter