Time and time again, The Five from Fox News has been the most-watched cable news show. Month after month, the ensemble program beats shows hosted by network staples like Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Bret Baier, in addition to challengers at networks like CNN, MSNBC, and Newsmax.
So what is it about The Five that sets it apart from the rest? Well, I attempted to find out by watching the Tuesday, December 17th episode.
On this edition of the show, the cast included Jeanine Pirro, Dana Perino, Jesse Watters, Brian Kilmeade, and resident liberal Harold Ford Jr.. That’s something the show has always done — welcome a liberal perspective, whether it be Ford or Jessica Tarlov, or in the past someone like Geraldo Rivera, Bob Beckel, or Juan Williams.
The show, which features five co-hosts at 5 PM ET — hence the name — allows each panelist to helm a segment. Initial expectations, in my opinion, are that you expect chaos. Five opinionated people in a studio opining on the top stories of the day should — in theory — lead to an oftentimes unruly set. But that never came.
In fact, as Pirro helmed the first segment on Tuesday, it took more than 10 minutes for one panelist to talk when it wasn’t their “turn” to speak. It is a highly regulated environment, which sort of flies in the face of what many other cable news programs feature today, especially CNN’s NewsNight, hosted by Abby Phillip which I wrote about extensively earlier this month.
The contrast between the two shows was stark. While at times I found CNN’s program to be dysfunctional, the Fox News show was insanely structured. Each person knew their role in each individual segment and rarely stepped outside of it.
Is there an obvious conservative slant — to the point of being a detriment unless you’re firmly entrenched in the MAGA movement? It’s Fox News, isn’t it? But Ford Jr. is more agreeable than Tarlov, so this episode wasn’t filled with the sometime contentious, sometimes explosive arguments that can transpire on the show. However, I couldn’t help but notice the only time Pirro cut off a fellow panelist was when Ford Jr. was speaking. But the moments weren’t controversial. This is a good thing because the light-hearted nature of the show is its biggest selling point.
For instance, during the segment hosted by Kilmeade, he messed up. He went to ask Pirro a question before recognizing that he needed to continue his monologue after playing a clip of Kamala Harris. She said “What?” when he began speaking to her, to which he replied “‘What?’ We’re doing the show,” with a smile. He then realized why she responded the way she did. “Oh. I’m gonna continue,” he said as he looked at the camera, noticing he had more script to read. Everyone had a laugh, and moved on, after Kilmeade said “please pay attention” while holding back a chuckle.
It’s moments like those that make me see what viewers enjoy about the show. While it’s five different voices, and often rotating voices, there’s a familiarity there between the panelists that exudes chemistry. Do they agree on everything? Not hardly. But the respect shown to one another jumps off the screen. There aren’t competing egos for airtime or someone looking to get a quip in for a viral moment.
So, essentially, it’s a cable news unicorn. It’s attempting to do the exact opposite of what every other cable news show looks to accomplish. The show is calm and opinionated, and one could even argue at times it’s borderline boring. But that’s a good thing. Because good television doesn’t have to always be based on conflict. I don’t know how entertaining or compelling the show was as much as it was refreshing. A cable news palate cleanser, if you will.
Ultimately, I can see why hardcore Fox News viewers can find The Five enjoyable. It is a light-hearted approach to the day’s news, without taking itself too seriously. It’s a model that other programs could find as a blueprint for higher ratings.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
