Anderson Cooper To Host New CNN Sunday Primetime Series ‘The Whole Story’; Erica Hill Will Look Behind the Scenes of the Coronation
Anderson Cooper will host a new Sunday primetime series for CNN, The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, as the network works to revitalize its nighttime lineup.
The new series, which will be a recurring weekly series, will feature single subject episodes from the network’s longform storytelling team. That will include special interviews, profiles and investigations.
The debut is set for April 16 at 8 PM ET.
Among the planned episodes will be Sara Sidner’s look at San Francisco and the social issues plaguing the city; Pamala Brown’s examination of claims that Johnson & Johnson’s now discontinued baby powder caused cancer; David Culver’s Magic Mushrooms, looking at the medicine and the money surrounding the psychedelic plant; Erica Hill’s look at the upcoming coronation of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla; and Nick Paton Walsh’s embed with a group of migrants from Central American on their way to seek asylum in the United States.
Susan Chun is the executive producer of The Whole Story.
Cooper also serves as a correspondent for 60 Minutes on CBS, which airs at 7 PM ET.
The network has been trying out a new format in the 9 PM ET weekday slot that follows Cooper’s regular show, with a series of town halls and one-on-one interviews. The CNN Primetime programming, though, has seen a viewership fall off, although a network spokesperson told The New York Times that they have been experimenting with formats and the there has not been a marketing campaign to call attention to the specials. Cooper’s weeknight show averaged 673,000 viewers in February, according to Nielsen. That is down 18% from an average of 816,000 viewers in the same month in 2022.
CNN Worldwide Chairman and CEO Chris Licht also has announced plans to overhaul the daytime lineup, with News Central set to debut next month.