After a six-month run, the CNN primetime show “King Charles,” featuring Charles Barkley and Gayle King, has ended. Despite high expectations due to the star power of its hosts, the show struggled to attract viewers, marking a disappointing period for the network in its quest to revamp its evening lineup.
“King Charles” premiered in November 2023 as a bold experiment by CNN to inject a fresh dynamic into its primetime slot. Co-hosted by NBA legend Charles Barkley and veteran journalist Gayle King, the show aimed to blend discussions on current events with celebrity interviews, leveraging the unique and captivating chemistry between the two hosts. Despite these efforts, the show debuted to a mere 501,000 viewers, the lowest for a CNN primetime weeknight series in over a decade, and it only improved a little from there.
The program, which aired on Wednesdays at 10 p.m., faced stiff competition from Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” and MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,” both of which significantly outperformed “King Charles” in terms of viewership. According to Nielsen ratings, “Gutfeld!” pulled in 2.2 million viewers while “The Last Word” attracted 1.5 million, overshadowing the 459,000 average viewers that “King Charles” managed to hold across its 14 episodes.
Barkley and King’s venture was particularly noted for its aim to be apolitical, focusing instead on general interest and entertainment topics. However, this format needed to resonate more to build a substantial audience. The viewer demographic showed some promise with a younger, more diverse audience, yet this wasn’t enough to counteract the low engagement.
Despite the underwhelming performance, CNN had always planned for “King Charles” to be a limited series, initially intended to run through early spring. The timing coincides with the NBA playoffs, requiring Barkley to shift his focus back to his role on TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” which presented scheduling conflicts that would have made continuing the show challenging,
While “King Charles” did not perform as hoped, it was part of a broader strategy under CNN’s new management to diversify programming and explore new formats. This strategy has included several lineup changes and new show introductions as the network seeks to regain footing in the competitive cable news landscape.
For fans of the hosts, the conclusion of “King Charles” might not be the last they see of Barkley and King together, as both have expressed interest in future joint projects. On their final broadcast, King and Barkley expressed gratitude toward their production team and hinted at future collaborations. “I have loved working with you. And something tells me, Charles, this will not…be the last time we’re working together,” King said during their sign-off.