Beadle opened the show by saying, “This is real. Good Monday morning! This is not a rehearsal”ESPN
ESPN debuted the heavily-hyped morning show “Get Up!” today from its studios in N.Y. The show’s intro painted co-hosts Mike Greenberg, Michelle Beadle and Jalen Rose as “three unassuming heroes” whose mission is to “turn the sports world upside down.” Beadle opened the show by saying, “This is real. Good Monday morning! This is not a rehearsal.” The trio was joined on set by Booger McFarland, with Greenberg saying, “It is a blizzard in New York City this morning. We envisioned having a beautiful view of the East River, which is right behind us, and you can’t see a thing.” This morning’s top stories included Notre Dame’s last-second win in the NCAA women’s final and the Rockets' 11-game win streak ending (“Get Up,” ESPN, 4/2). In Chicago, Teddy Greenstein writes one surprise from today's show was Beadle "acting as more of the show’s point guard" than Greenberg, which was anticipated. It also was "shocking ... how infrequently the four hosts talked over one another" (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 4/2). In Cleveland, Joey Morona writes under the header, "ESPN's New Morning Show 'Get Up!' Has Promising Debut." ESPN "seems to have found the right mix in its trio of hosts." Greenberg's "dad jokes and dated references are a good match for Beadle's quick wit and chutzpah." Additionally, Rose is "always entertaining even if his hot takes are 'out there' sometimes" (CLEVELAND.com, 4/2).
PACKED CROWD: In DC, Steven Zeitchik notes ESPN has "largely stayed away from one of television’s most watched times: morning." "Get Up!" is an "ambitious program that could be a struggling network’s much-needed savior -- or offer its own ESPN-worthy lowlight." The show "throws itself into the crowded world of morning television." ESPN even hired Bill Wolff, the "architect" of MSNBC’s "The Rachel Maddow Show," as executive producer. Greenberg said, "They’re giving us a blank canvas, so let’s do the best sports show we can. The best sports show. We won’t do cooking segments" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/2). VARIETY's Brian Steinberg wrote "Get Up!" is one of ESPN's "biggest programming swings in years," as it "joins a crowded A.M. market." The new show "isn’t trying to compete with 'Morning Joe' or 'Good Morning America,' but it may do so anyway." The show debuts as ESPN continues to "wrestle with the voice and tone of some of its studio programs and its flagship 'SportsCenter.'" Greenberg: "If I put on ESPN, it is because I have a right to expect I’m going to get the very best sports coverage that you can get, and I don’t think we want to stray too far from that." He added, "If I put on ESPN, I want sports and I think that’s what we’re going to give them.” More Greenberg: "If you watch the show on May 2nd, we will look totally different. I believe we will be a good show when we launch Monday, and I believe strongly we will be better a month later and better still a year later.” Beadle on sticking to sports or covering more controversial topics said, "The balance is the trick. We don’t force topics, but we are not muzzled either" (VARIETY.com, 4/1).
ANYTHING NEW? In L.A., Stephen Battaglio noted ESPN is "making a significant investment in 'Get Up!' at a time when it has tried to control costs to counter lost revenue from defecting cable subscribers." Based on rehearsal footage, the show "does not appear to be remaking the morning show wheel." With other sports options now available, "Get Up!" needs its hosts to "provide a compelling alternative." Veteran TV producer Brian Donlon: "They are banking on 'our people are better than your people.' I think it's hard in this competitive environment. Their people are a plus for them, but you also need patience as morning habits change at a glacial pace" (L.A. TIMES, 3/31).
PATIENCE, PLEASE: THE BIG LEAD's Kyle Koster writes it is "important to realize that 'Get Up' will likely look much different next week, next month, and possibly next year." Koster: "It’s probably not worthwhile to make any huge sweeping judgments after 180 minutes of evidence. There will be changes, both big and small" (THEBIGLEAD.com, 4/2). Despite that, there were plenty of takes on Twitter about the show. SI’s Jimmy Traina wrote, “I sampled ‘Get Up’ on ESPN. I lasted 14 minutes. Putting 4 faces on the screen and having the 4 hosts talk over each other during highlights was not for me. Back to the NFL Network and ‘Good Morning Football’ - the best morning sports show on TV.” National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar: “Underwhelmed by new ESPN morning show. Even more underwhelmed by their editorial judgment -- burying Shohei debut news/highlights under inconsequential NBA regular season games.” Soccer writer Beau Dure: "I checked out a bit of ESPN’s 'Get Up' this morning. It looks like yet another show pandering to Millennials and ultimately insulting their intelligence and attention span" (TWITTER.com, 4/2).
