ABC Hires Alec Baldwin for Sunday Show Five Years after Failed MSNBC Talk Show

Alec Baldwin is set to premiere his new ABC weekly talk show just after the Academy Awards conclude Sunday night.

Sundays with Alec Baldwin will feature the actor and Saturday Night Live Donald Trump impersonator interviewing fellow celebrities, pop culture figures, and politicians, with the first episode set to include segments with comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Kate McKinnon.

ABC has reportedly committed to eight hour-long episodes of the new series, though only the pilot premiere date has so far been set. The show will incorporate elements of Baldwin’s podcast, Here’s the Thing, which currently airs on WNYC radio.

“I’m excited about this show and grateful to ABC for taking a chance on me in what is, admittedly, a crowded field,” Baldwin said in a statement, according to the Daily Mail. “I’ve enjoyed doing my podcast for WNYC and look forward to the challenge of doing a show on camera.”

“Alec’s intellect, wit, and and wealth of life experience afford him a voice and perspective we haven’t seen before in this format,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement. “When we shot the pilot, we knew immediately we had something special… that showcases Alec as one of today’s most compelling conversationalists and highlights the type of intimate discussions that he has captured on his podcast for years.”

The ABC show will be Baldwin’s second attempt as a television host, after the actor hosted the short-lived Up Late with Alec Baldwin on MSNBC in 2013.

That show lasted just five episodes before Baldwin was fired after he was caught on tape in an off-set altercation during which he reportedly called a photographer a “c***s***ing f**.”

Baldwin’s impersonation of Trump has earned rave reviews from critics and helped to rescue Saturday Night Live‘s ratings troubles last year. The actor said in March of last year that he was preparing to retire the impersonation, but has continued to appear on the program through its current season.

 

Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum