Rachel Maddow is MSNBC’s biggest star. I know that, she knows that, and the network knows that.
So it makes sense for a network like MSNBC — who takes a decidedly liberal political stance — to bring back Maddow for a nightly show for the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second administration, which it announced earlier this week.
With that news, it brought Maddow to the forefront once again. Because it’s easy to wonder if Maddow has lost some zip on her proverbial fastball after dropping down to just one day a week. Conventional wisdom would suggest that doing something less frequently — even if it’s a cable news show — would mean you’re not consistently at the top of your game as when you were doing it nightly. But is that reality?
I watched The Rachel Maddow Show this week to get a feel for how the 100-day stretch — that will last until May 1st — might go for MSNBC as it tries to reestablish itself after seeing a significant ratings decline since the 2024 election.
Before we go too far into dissecting Maddow’s program, I think it’s important to note that I like MSNBC’s presentation. I like the somewhat stripped-down on-screen style the network utilizes during its primetime programs. It doesn’t utilize some of the grander graphics that clutter and overwhelm the screen that some of its cable news counterparts use.
In the episode of Maddow’s show that I watched, she began by talking about the upcoming inauguration of Donald Trump, and how January 20th, 2025 couldn’t possibly be worse than January 20th, 2021 — or, by proxy, January 6th, 2021. And while Maddow made good and fair points in her monologue, there was a nagging issue: there was feedback. Or maybe an echo is the better term. Every word Rachel Maddow said was repeated to me, faintly, a few seconds later. It was accompanied by a loud and noticeable hum. To the point that I question if someone was using an electric shaver just off-screen.
Now, I know what you might be thinking. So, I went back and watched the video on YouTube. And on MSNBC.com. I also found a clip on TikTok just to make sure it wasn’t my TV going bad. Nope. MSNBC was just having audio problems. Which happens. But this is primetime, baby. With your biggest, most recognizable star. There are just some things that can’t happen. The echo did go away after a while, but the hum persisted. But enough about the audio.
Monologues can be a finicky thing in the cable news world in 2025. While hosts still have plenty to say, and make larger points, it’s harder than ever. Attention spans are shorter, and there’s certainly a pressure to create viral moments that will play well on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok.
And yet, I was enthralled with Maddow’s opening monologue on this Monday night. Not to dive into the political content of her statements, but the way with which she connected dot to dot to make her about how the Trump administration has taken shape, and why — in her opinion — it was off to a disastrous start was great television.
Whether or not you agree with the statements is one thing. But the presentation was another. It was unlike anything else I’ve seen since beginning this series.
Instead of an opinion being shouted down from the mountaintops, I felt as if Rachel Maddow was teaching me about why she felt the way she did. To borrow a phrase from a teacher, she “showed her work” on why she felt the way she did, taking a step-by-step approach that made her thought process difficult to argue with. It wasn’t a sales pitch for me to agree with her. Her presentation left me with an understanding of why she felt the way she did, rather than with a “You should agree with me because I feel this way, and I’m the only person you should trust today” air of superiority that persists in cable news today.
Has Rachel Maddow lost her fastball? In a word, no. She hasn’t. Now, while I’m sure she’d like to be returning to a nightly show under different circumstances, Rachel Maddow is still good at this. And while she told USA Today she has no interest in returning to MSNBC on a full-time basis, I hope she reconsiders. I think cable news is better when both sides of the political aisle are well represented by high-profile, smart talents making salient points. And it’s something that MSNBC could use right about now.
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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.
