Daytime Divas

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

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 and characters

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
• Chloe Bridges as Kibby Ainsley, a former child star and recovering addict who is one of the co-hosts
• Camille Guaty as Nina Sandoval, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and one of the co-hosts
• Fiona Gubelmann as Heather Flynn-Kellogg, an outspoken conservative and one of the co-hosts
• McKinley Freeman as Shawn Robinson, the producer of The Lunch Hour and Maxine's adopted son

Recurring

• Tichina Arnold (credited as a "special guest star") as Mo Evans, an eccentric comedienne and one of the show's co-hosts
• Niko Pepaj as Leon, an ambitious head production assistant
• Sarah Mack as Ramona Davies, a production assistant
• Tammy Blanchard as Sheree Ainsley, Kibby's scheming mother
• Ness Bautista as Andrew Weller, Nina's husband and a rising politician
• 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
• 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
• 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

Guest

• Tamera Mowry-Housley as herself
• Kelly Osbourne as herself
• Tasha Smith as Portia Camden, a popular lifestyle guru and the ladies' counselor who is brought on to guest host
• Debby Ryan as Maddie Finn, Kibby's rival and former Lacey from Outer Spacey co-star, who wants to ruin Kibby's life
• La La Anthony as Isabel Carlisle, a crisis management expert hired by Maxine to help handle a situation in behind the scenes
• Joy Behar as herself
• Sunny Hostin as herself
• Jedediah Bila as herself
• Sara Haines as herself
• Eve as Cecile James, a bestselling author of books about alpha women who guest hosts, and who initially wants to become a permanent co-host
• Richard T. Jones as Ben Branson, a charismatic real estate mogul who is set up on a blind date with Maxine
• Patti LaBelle as Gloria Tomas, the mother of William, who also has secrets
• Janet Mock as herself, who appears as a guest host on the show
• Jillian Rose Reed as Kali Z, a millennial YouTuber brought on as a guest host
• Rob Estes as Vance Gordon, an actor and Kibby's former Lacey from Outter Spacey co-star
• Star Jones as herself
• Ashley Graham as herself, who appears as a guest host on the show
• Zeeko Zaki as Cab Driver

Episodes

Production

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

Reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 60% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 6.45/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "These Divas try a little too hard achieve genuine camp, but fans of prima donnas will find a catty enough array here." On Metacritic, the show has a score of 53 out of 100 based on four reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

References

External links

• Official website
• Daytime Divas at IMDb