Fox News Channel’s Red-Hot ‘The Five’ Returns To Studio

For the first time since mid-March, the hosts of Fox News Channel’s The Five opened were all in the same place at the same time, rather than arrayed across the scene in five separate boxes from five different locations. “Many Americans are excited to reunite with friends and family, and The Five is no exception,” said executive producer Megan Albano ahead of the live telecast. “While the show’s ratings have never been better, we have faced our own challenges and getting back in studio will allow us to continue to debate, banter and laugh without any hiccups. It’s what makes this show so unique. We’re excited to be back together again and we know our audience will be thrilled to see the hosts reunited.”

While the hosts were back together, they were not sitting elb0w-to-elbow around the show’s signature desk. Instead, the desk was gone and the hosts sat in a wide semi-circle, allowing for a solid six-foot distance between each host. “I’d like our return to the studio to hopefully symbolize America getting back to normal as sensibly and safely as possible,” said co-host Jesse Watters. “I’m looking forward to seeing my co-hosts in the flesh, reading their body language and bantering like the good old days.”

The Five’s return to the studio may bring back the feel of the “good old days,” but the show’s recent ratings performance has been better than ever—outpacing all daytime and prime time programming on CNN and MSNBC, including high-profile prime time shows like MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show and CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time. And The Five airs hours earlier, when the pool of cable news viewers is smaller. In year-to-date ratings, The Five has an average total audience of 3.6 million viewers, and 598,000 viewers 25-54, the key demographic valued by advertisers—ratings closer to that of the prime time dramas on broadcast television, rather than late afternoon on cable.

“It will be good to see actual humans, and have a real conversation with actual eye contact,” said co-host Greg Gutfeld. “The tape delay hindered the natural back and forth that The Five is legendary for. We still had great ratings, but I’m looking forward to being able to see the people I talk to in the flesh. It’s hard to know whether you’re talking too long, or making any sense when you can’t see the other person’s immediate reaction. A yawn, for example, tells you it’s time to shut up.”

That delay, which has become a nightly frustration for cable news hosts doing their best with guests appearing via laptop at home, can frustrate the best efforts at on-screen chemistry, which was one of The Five’s basic concepts—sitting around a desk, in lively conversation. “I am looking forward to being back in studio where my amazing sports analogies won’t get lost in the delay,” joked The Five’s Dana Perino.

As co-host Juan Williams put it, “the show is a chemical experiment with lots of people and ideas, so putting the mix back in the bottle could produce some pops and sparkles,” which is precisely what has always brought viewers to The Five. “It will be a lot of fun.”