Drew Barrymore, the well-known actress and host of one of the most popular television talk shows, 'The Drew Barrymore Show,' is coming back with the show's fourth season, which will air on September 18, Monday. The show is scheduled to go on air despite the ongoing writers strike.
The talk show will be introducing a brand new segment called 'Take Care Everywhere,' where Barrymore will be joined by gynaecologist and author Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz. The entire segment will be focused on answering those questions that people feel uneasy asking their own doctors.
The new season will also feature celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, who will be joining Barrymore and her cohorts: News Co-Anchor Ross Mathews, interior designer Mikel Welch, Chef Pilar Valdes, and environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo.
However, Barrymore has been on the receiving end of some backlash from members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which began in May of this year. The show stopped production in April 2023. This resulted in many WGA strike members believing that the show's production had been halted for an indefinite period of time as a sign of solidarity with their movement rather than being just a regular and scheduled summer break. So upon learning about the release of the show's fourth season, they actively voiced their criticism about the decision.
Barrymore, who is a member of The Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), took to Instagram and explained that her decision to start the fourth season was totally in compliance with the rules set by the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Talk shows like 'The Drew Barrymore Show' fall under the Network Television Code contract, which is different from the Television/Theatrical/Streaming contracts. The latter contracts became void after WAG and the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach an agreement, thus resulting in actors going on strike. Due to this difference, performers on talk shows, reality television, and soap operas are not on strike.
Although the show is not violating any terms of the movement, it is going forward without the writers who are part of the WGA strike, a move that has resulted in more widespread criticism.
'The Drew Barrymore Show' garnered a massive viewership in its 2022–23 season, with more than 6.9 billion minutes viewed across various platforms.