Nate Expectations

By Tony Peregrin in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 18, 2009 3:40PM

Oprah Winfrey’s production company is proposing a new daytime talk show featuring Chicago interior designer and decorator Nate Berkus, which means he’s poised to join Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, and Dr. Oz as the newest member of the ‘I was a regular Oprah guest and now I have my own show’ clique. The as-yet-titled show is slated for 2010 and would be the second collaboration between Harpo Productions and its distributor, Sony Pictures Television. Their first collaboration, "The Dr. Oz Show" premiered earlier this year and had the best first-run talk show debut in seven years, according to Broadcasting & Cable.

The project fuels rumors that if Winfrey does continue her daily syndicated talk show beyond 2011, and decides not to shift it over to her newly formed Oprah Winfrey Network, it could be distributed by Sony instead of CBS.

In 2001 Berkus was invited to make over a small space for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and from there he became a featured expert for the show. Today Berkus hosts his own radio show, "The Nate Berkus Show," on XM’s ‘Oprah & Friends’ channel where he chats each week with callers, celebrities, and in-studio guests. Last year, Berkus hit primetime as the host of ABC’s reality series "Oprah's Big Give," but this year it’s the celebrity designer that’s on the receiving end of things. We’d call that a real twist of Nate.