After years of teasing, MTV have officially confirmed the return of its former flagship show Total Request Live known more affectionately as TRL.
UPDATED details below…
The news comes after months of murmurs and was announced by MTV president Chris McCarthy in an interview with The New York Times.
October has been set as the return month and a new TRL studio facing Times Square is already being built. McCarthy said:
“If we’re going to come back and reinvent MTV, the studio is a given. It is the center-piece.”
The revived TRL will air for an hour a day initially, with the potential of building to an expanded 2-3 hours a day as the show evolves.
During its initial run, Carson Daly hosted. Now, his role is being split between five co-hosts. Though yet to be fully revealed, the line-up includes rapping comedian DC Young Fly and Chicago radio personality Erik Zachary.
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Having retired the show in 2008, MTV have, in recent years, been soft-testing a return in a number of ways.
These have included one-off specials for artist releases (i.e. Ariana Grande) and the creation of TRL-like show ‘Wonderland.’
The TRL comeback arrives as the network actions a return to more music related content after years of focussing on everything but.
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More than a music show, TRL – in its 90’s-early 00’s heyday – was a cultural staple and boasted moments that are etched in history.
That said…
Producers definitely have their work cut out for them adapting the format (a music video countdown show) to todays on-demand streaming climate. However, we’re buzzed to see how they plan to pull it off.
Especially as artists really could do with a TV platform to promote new material.
What do you think? Is a TRL comeback a smart idea?