Bill Maher Unlikely To Cure CNN's Ratings Plague

CNN is turning to Bill Maher ahead of the 2024 election as the network struggles to keep pace with its cable and broadcast news competitors. 

The network announced on Tuesday that it would re-air episodes of "Real Time with Bill Maher" on Saturday nights at 8 p.m., a day after the original airing on CNN's sister station HBO. 

"The addition of ‘Real Time With Bill Maher‘ to CNN’s weekend primetime lineup marks the start of a commitment and investment into topical entertainment programming that we’re bringing to the weekends," said Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, original programming and creative development for CNN Worldwide, in a statement. 

"We’ve seen that audiences enjoy Bill’s perspective and approach to news and information, and we’re looking forward to the show now being on CNN."

Bill Maher gets basic gun facts in aftermath of Kansas City parade shooting. (Credit: HBO)

The addition of Maher is one of the first notable changes made by CNN CEO Mark Thompson since his hiring last fall.

CNN has yet to find its place in the election cycle. Its ratings for Super Tuesday and other 2024 primaries craft a sense of bleakness within the company. 

Not a single CNN program ranks among the top 25 in cable news. The established trinity of Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper, and Wolf Blitzer rarely crack the daily zeitgeist of American politics.

The new primetime trio of Kaitlan Collins, Abby Phillip, and Laura Coates is a proven dud. Their ratings combine for fewer total viewers than most Fox News and MSNBC primetime shows alone.

So, adding Maher to the lineup, even for just a day a week, would seem to be a positive. And it is. It won't hurt. However, the move is unlikely to generate any lasting momentum.

CNN had already been airing Maher's "OverTime" segments from "Real Time" on Friday nights. Yet the 15-minute segments rarely improve viewership for the channel.

Simply put, CNN is stuck in no man's land. 

The right doesn't trust the brand. We don't blame them. The left feels betrayed by recent edicts to present the news more moderately, as opposed to the days under Jeff Zucker. And CNN doesn't employ enough credible news journalists to appeal to viewers simply seeking the hard news. 

As I discussed with Stacy Washington last week, challenging it is to find a proper solution for the future of CNN.

Bill Maher is a top-five name in TV news media. He's right there with Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity, Rachel Maddow, and David Muir. But his latest venture is unlikely to improve matters at CNN, to no fault of his own.