Chris Harrison Sets TV Return With Talk Show & Dating Series on Dr. Phil’s Network
Chris Harrison is returning to TV. The former host of The Bachelor franchise has been tapped to co-create a new reality dating series for Dr. Phil’s new network, a show he will also host. He’ll also co-host a new morning show with his wife, Entertainment Tonight‘s Lauren Zima.
Harrison has signed an overall deal with Dr Phil’s Merit Street Media. The new streaming and broadcast network is launching on April 2. In addition to the reality dating and morning shows, Harrison has also contributed to Dr. Phil Primetime. Harrison, Zima, and Dr. Phil celebrate their new collaboration in the photo above.
The morning show is so far untitled and is aiming to premiere in the fall or winter of 2024. The reality dating show will film at Merit Street Media’s HQ in the Fort Worth, Texas area, where Harrison and Zima also live. Official premiere dates for both series will be announced at a later time.
“Call it divine intervention, karma, kismet, whatever it is, the fact that Dr. Phil created this network in my own backyard here in Dallas, it means the world to me to, not only be returning to television, but to be doing it here in a hometown crowd,” Harrison told Entertainment Tonight.
Harrison’s contributions to Dr. Phil Primetime fall within the dating sphere. He provided some “very penetrating field work having to do with some of these romance scams, these catfish type things.”
Dr. Phil told ET‘s Kevin Frazier that Harrison is “so good on camera.” “When he walked out for the first time, the audience went insane,” he said. Dr. Phil also provided some insight into Harrison’s new dating show.
“It has dating elements in it, but this is so different and so novel,” he said. “It is flipping the script in a way that I think people are gonna become addicted to it in a week. It is unbelievable.”
Harrison has primarily been working in the podcast industry since controversy made him exit The Bachelor franchise in 2021. He told ET he was given a “blank slate” when making this new show on the Merit Street network. He wants this new series to deliver on promises he says The Bachelor franchise didn’t fulfill.
“People got to know and love me for two decades hosting The Bachelor, so, yes, we are going to be creating a reality dating show,” Harrison said. “For years and years I said, ‘This is the most dramatic show ever.’ We want to create a show where those words actually ring true, so this dating show will be the most dramatic ever — that you can be sure of.”
