NBC has to be a bit disappointed with numbers for Martha Stewart. They probably hoped it would do a bit better.

Is it a guaranteed bet? No. Is it a good, reasonable roll of the dice? Yes. I think they have a good chance of people who don't normally watch their networks checking them out, without alienating their core audience.

This is a rebuilding year. Next year is going to be the huge turning point. The one positive they'll have is NFL Sunday night football. That could be a game changer for NBC.

If you look at the characters that were predominantly on their schedule, with 'The West Wing,' 'Frasier' and 'Seinfeld,' they were detached, elitist and urban, ... every network is trying to reach as broad an audience as possible.

The main reason it works is she's really connected with the audience. She's very accessible. At the top of the show ,she comes out and shares her thoughts. And those thoughts may be about a squirrel in the backyard, or trying to make an omelet or the heat. She has a real relatability.

Not everyone can host a talk show. She's proven she can talk to Tom Hanks or the woman who has had her mattress for 50 years. And she relates to them in the same way.

It's so hard to break through (with viewers). Maybe you get to set an impression for a moment. If it's a familiar face, that reinforces what you're trying to say.

This is a highly anticipated show and it should be. She's a bigger-than-life character.

She's in the mold of Bill Cosby and Jerry Seinfeld, ... You can accept that Ellen could be like us.