Overview and Summary
The Chew aired its last episode in September 2017, ending a five-year run on ABC that blended cooking, lifestyle, and talk-show energy. The finale brought back past guests, highlighted recurring segments, and acknowledged the show’s unexpected cultural footprint. This article explains what happened on the last show, why the decision to end the series was made, and how The Chew changed food television and daytime programming.
What The Chew Was and Who Was Involved
The Chew launched in September 2011 as a one-hour daily talk and cooking program built around seven co-hosts with backgrounds in food, lifestyle, and media. ABC framed it as a hybrid combining cooking demos, celebrity interviews, and lifestyle features, aiming to capture a broad daytime audience. Over its run, the format emphasized approachable recipes, product tests, and viewer-friendly how-to segments that could work in both kitchen and living-room contexts.
Core Hosts and Their Roles
- Mario Batali — chef and restaurateur, brought culinary credibility and big-picture cooking direction.
- Lidia Bastianich — chef and restaurateur, offered Italian cuisine expertise and storytelling rooted in family tradition.
- Alex Guarnaschelli — executive chef, provided restaurant-industry insight and high-level technique.
- Clinton Kelly — fashion and lifestyle expert, focused on makeovers, design, and practical lifestyle advice.
- Daphne Oz — author and home-economics advocate, bridged budget cooking, wellness, and everyday tips.
- Michael Symon — chef and restaurateur, emphasized accessible recipes and bold flavors.
- Zac Young — pastry chef, introduced baking segments and a younger voice to the panel.
Why the Show Ended
In early 2017, ABC announced The Chew would conclude after five seasons, citing a need to refresh its daytime schedule and adapt to shifting viewing habits. The decision aligned with a broader strategy to reposition programming across the network’s daytime block. Industry analysis pointed to uneven ratings against competing soaps and news programs, as well as the expanding commitments of the co-hosts.
Key Context Points
- The Chew occupied a noon timeslot, where live-plus-7-day viewing was strong but overall audience age skewed older than newer morning programs.
- Food competition franchises in prime time and streaming platforms were changing how viewers engaged with cooking content.
- Co-hosts’ other projects, including cookbooks, tours, and restaurant work, made a sustained daily commitment harder to maintain.
Notable Moments in the Final Episode
The last episode featured returning guests, throwback clips, and a panel reflection on favorite segments and lessons learned. Hosts cooked a farewell meal that referenced early recipes while incorporating feedback from viewers who had written in over the years. Producers and creators joined the hosts for a closing interview, discussing behind-the-scenes decisions and the show’s evolution.
Highlights From the Finale
- A montage of best moments set to music, emphasizing emotional beats rather than solely recipe results.
- Audience shout-outs and thank-yous from viewers who treated the show as part of their daily routine.
- An on-air acknowledgment of the business and scheduling factors that led to the series ending.
Ratings, Reviews, and Industry Reaction
While The Chew never reached the top tier of daytime ratings, it maintained a loyal core audience and earned respectable numbers for its slot. Critics praised the chemistry among hosts and the practical focus on weeknight cooking, though some questioned the long-term viability of a panel-driven food program competing with shorter, more visually driven cooking clips online.
Performance Snapshot
| Metric | Estimate or Range | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Average Viewers (Season 5, live+3) | 2.7 million | Midday audience benchmark for ABC |
| Households Rating (Season 5 finale) | 0.7 | Live+Same Day household measurement |
| Years on Air | 5 (2011–2017) | Compared to peers with much longer runs |
| Hosts at Launch | 7 | Larger than typical morning show cooking segments |
Legacy and Lasting Influence
The Chew’s legacy lives on in how daytime networks think about food segments and personality-driven shows. Its structure demonstrated the appeal of a diverse panel, blending cooking with personal storytelling, lifestyle tips, and product testing. Several hosts have continued cookbooks, tours, and digital series, and clips from the program remain popular on social platforms and on-demand services.
Long-Term Takeaways
- Showcased how daytime television could experiment with food without relying solely on recipe demonstrations.
- Highlighted the value of host chemistry and varied expertise, from restaurant kitchens to fashion and home economics.
- Set precedents for integrating social media interaction and viewer recipe submissions into daily content.
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
The Chew ended as it began, with an emphasis on making cooking and lifestyle topics accessible to a broad audience. Its five-season run may not have matched the longevity of some daytime staples, but it left a clear mark on how food content can live within a talk-show framework. For viewers, the final episode served as both a nostalgia trip and a reminder of the show’s role in reshaping daytime food television.
Whether you followed every episode or only occasional segments, the show’s blend of practical recipes, candid conversation, and cross-category lifestyle topics remains a useful reference point for understanding the evolution of food programming on broadcast television.
Going forward, The Chew is best understood as a mid-2010s experiment in personality-led daytime food content that helped inform how networks, hosts, and viewers think about cooking shows beyond the kitchen.