Ousting Oprah

The reason that Warner Bros. was so eager to renew The Ellen DeGeneres Show for three more years: Research. Specifically, research done by SmithGeiger proving that Ellen's show is finally on par with The Oprah Winfrey Show. While Ellen's ratings are expected to improve more still thanks to her American Idol gig, the only component missing from launching Ellen into that lucrative Oprah franchise territory is an "emotional bond with viewers." So brace for Ellen to rip a page from Oprah's playbook with an all-female-suffering line-up. Who said a little coffee-table dance therapy doesn't help ease those traumatic incest memories?

[NYT]