The Five (TV program)
Encyclopedia
The Five is an American
talk show on the Fox News Channel
featuring a rotating panel of contributors who discuss current political
issues. The show premiered in July 2011, replacing the Glenn Beck
program, and airs on weekdays at 5:00 PM ET
.
On October 3, 2011, Fox News announced that The Five would become the permanent 5PM series, as the series was previously announced to last only during the summer.
The show is made up of six blocks. Each of the first five blocks is introduced, closed, and loosely moderated by a different co-host. The co-host's block may be on a single topic or multiple topics. In the final block, the panel discusses several different topics in the headlines of the day.
The show's co-hosts are:
Beckel and Williams sub for each other (although Beckel appears far more frequently than Williams), while Tantaros, Perino and Guilfoyle regularly rotate into two available slots. Only Bolling and Gutfeld have appeared in nearly every episode.
The original announcements included Andrew Napolitano
, Monica Crowley
, and Geraldo Rivera
listed as additional co-hosts. Crowley was the most frequently used of the three, and Rivera never appeared at all. Crowley continues to be listed on the official website. Juliet Huddy, Leslie Marshall
, and Brian Kilmeade
have also appeared as guest co-hosts.
The show occasionally features additional guests, including politicians, celebrities, and sports figures.
Reaction to the show among critics has been mixed. Salon.com
columnist Alex Pareene slammed the show as "boring and lame" and "not even worth getting outraged about." Nonetheless, Entertainment Weekly
TV critic Ken Tucker dubbed the show his "favorite guilty pleasure" and praised its zany sense of humor, calling it "a delightfully nutty show with an undercurrent of ragin’ crazy."
The show's "anything goes" attitude has run it into a couple minor controversies, particularly involving co-host Bob Beckel's on-air profanity and insensitive remarks. In August, Beckel was forced to apologize on-air when, while trying to clarify an earlier remark wherein he called Michael Vick
a "redneck," said the term was not racial, because "blacks are rednecks, whites are rednecks, I was a redneck, Chinamen are rednecks." Even the music producers play leading in and out of individual segments has raised hackles. In October, The Five used Maroon 5
's "This Love" during a transition to commercial, prompting a Twitter
war between Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine
and The Five co-host Greg Gutfeld.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
talk show on the Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
featuring a rotating panel of contributors who discuss current political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
issues. The show premiered in July 2011, replacing the Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck (TV program)
Glenn Beck is a United States cable news show hosted by Glenn Beck that aired weekdays on Fox News Channel. The program, originally on CNN Headline News , premiered on FNC on January 19, 2009 and aired weekdays at 5:00 PM EST...
program, and airs on weekdays at 5:00 PM ET
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
.
On October 3, 2011, Fox News announced that The Five would become the permanent 5PM series, as the series was previously announced to last only during the summer.
Format
According to Fox News, the show features a "roundtable ensemble of five rotating FOX personalities who will discuss, debate and at times debunk the hot news stories, controversies and issues of the day."The show is made up of six blocks. Each of the first five blocks is introduced, closed, and loosely moderated by a different co-host. The co-host's block may be on a single topic or multiple topics. In the final block, the panel discusses several different topics in the headlines of the day.
The show's co-hosts are:
- Dana PerinoDana PerinoDana Maria Perino is an American political commentator for Fox News. She served as the White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush from September 14, 2007 to January 20, 2009...
, White House Press SecretaryWhite House Press SecretaryThe White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....
under the George W. Bush administrationGeorge W. Bush administrationThe presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W... - Bob BeckelBob BeckelRobert Beckel is an American political commentator and an analyst on the Fox News Channel. He is also a columnist for USA Today where he writes "point-counterpoint" style articles with friend and political opposite Cal Thomas. He is the brother of actor Graham Beckel.-Career:Beckel holds a B.A....
, DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
strategist - Eric BollingEric BollingEric Bolling is an American television personality who specializes in financial news and political commentary. He has occupied numerous roles as a commentator on financial issues for television. Bolling was involved in developing CNBC's Fast Money...
, host of Follow The MoneyFollow the MoneyFollow the Money is an Emmy-award winning series of reports on the CBS Evening News reported by Sharyl Atkisson....
on Fox Business NetworkFox Business NetworkFox Business Network is an American cable news and satellite news television channel that began broadcasting on October 15, 2007. It is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation... - Juan WilliamsJuan WilliamsJuan Williams is an American journalist and political analyst for Fox News Channel, he was born in Panama on April 10, 1954. He also writes for several newspapers including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal and has been published in magazines such as The Atlantic...
, political analyst and former NPR contributor - Kimberly GuilfoyleKimberly GuilfoyleKimberly Guilfoyle is an American cable news personality and is currently one of the rotating co-hosts on The Five on Fox News Channel at 5 pm EST , as well as the host of an Internet-only crime-related program for Fox News...
, legal analyst - Greg GutfeldGreg GutfeldGreg Gutfeld is an American television personality, political satirist, humorist, magazine editor and blogger. Gutfeld is the host of Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld on the Fox News Channel. He is also one of five co-hosts/panelists on Fox News political talk-show The Five, which debuted on July 11, 2011....
, comedian and host of Fox News' late-night talk show, Red Eye - Andrea TantarosAndrea TantarosAndrea K. Tantaros is a political analyst and commentator on Fox News, Fox Business Channel and writes for the New York Daily News and Newsmax magazine. Her columns appear in the New York Daily News every Thursday.-Early life:...
, conservative commentator
Beckel and Williams sub for each other (although Beckel appears far more frequently than Williams), while Tantaros, Perino and Guilfoyle regularly rotate into two available slots. Only Bolling and Gutfeld have appeared in nearly every episode.
The original announcements included Andrew Napolitano
Andrew Napolitano
Andrew Paolo Napolitano is a former New Jersey Superior Court Judge and now a political and legal analyst for Fox News Channel. Napolitano started on the channel in 1998, and currently serves as the network's senior judicial analyst, commenting on legal news and trials...
, Monica Crowley
Monica Crowley
Monica Crowley is an American conservative radio and television commentator, and author based in New York City. She has her own radio show and is a regular commentator on The McLaughlin Group, a Fox News contributor, and Washington Times columnist.-Education:Crowley holds a B.A. in Political...
, and Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera is an American attorney, journalist, author, reporter, and former talk show host...
listed as additional co-hosts. Crowley was the most frequently used of the three, and Rivera never appeared at all. Crowley continues to be listed on the official website. Juliet Huddy, Leslie Marshall
Leslie Marshall
Leslie Marshall has been a liberal radio talk host since 1988 and a commentator on national television since 2001. Leslie became the youngest person ever to be nationally syndicated on radio when she replaced Tom Snyder on the ABC Satellite Radio Network in 1992...
, and Brian Kilmeade
Brian Kilmeade
Brian Kilmeade a Fox News Channel television personality. Weekdays, he co-hosts Fox's morning show, Fox & Friends, along with Steve Doocy and Gretchen Carlson. Kilmeade also co-hosts Brian and the Judge, a talk-news radio show on Fox News Radio, with Judge Andrew P. Napolitano...
have also appeared as guest co-hosts.
The show occasionally features additional guests, including politicians, celebrities, and sports figures.
Recurring Elements
- Bob's Prediction: Beckel offers a prediction about something related to a topic being covered.
- Dana's Dos and Don'ts: Perino offers political advice to someone in the news.
- Greg's Tortured Metaphor: Gutfeld explains a news story by using a metaphor or simile.
Reception
The Five debuted in July 2011 to less-than-stellar ratings, although it won its time slot. Since then the show has seen some success, though its numbers have never matched up to Glenn Beck. The Five consistently beats its competitors on MSNBC and CNN combined, and ranks among the top 10 cable-news shows. In addition, the show is paying off more with advertisers, who were reluctant to be associated with the controversial content of Beck's show. The Five was the sixth-most-watched cable-news program for the third quarter of 2011.Reaction to the show among critics has been mixed. Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
columnist Alex Pareene slammed the show as "boring and lame" and "not even worth getting outraged about." Nonetheless, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
TV critic Ken Tucker dubbed the show his "favorite guilty pleasure" and praised its zany sense of humor, calling it "a delightfully nutty show with an undercurrent of ragin’ crazy."
The show's "anything goes" attitude has run it into a couple minor controversies, particularly involving co-host Bob Beckel's on-air profanity and insensitive remarks. In August, Beckel was forced to apologize on-air when, while trying to clarify an earlier remark wherein he called Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
a "redneck," said the term was not racial, because "blacks are rednecks, whites are rednecks, I was a redneck, Chinamen are rednecks." Even the music producers play leading in and out of individual segments has raised hackles. In October, The Five used Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
's "This Love" during a transition to commercial, prompting a Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
war between Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine
Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
and The Five co-host Greg Gutfeld.