'The View' for men?

ABC's "The View" may soon get a testosterone-rich spin-off, reports the New York Daily News. While some insiders dispute the claim, others say that Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie, executive producers of the women-centric talk show, are quietly developing a "unisex" version of "The View" that would offer a predominantly male perspective. Former "Today" show host Bryant Gumbel has been floated as the new show's moderator, backed by a team of co-hosts that could include "Ugly Betty" actor Alec Mapa, BET news anchor Jacque Reid and former Fox News host E.D. Hill, the only female on the panel. If the rumors are true, would men actually watch?

The male perspective isn't exactly in short supply on TV: Sorry, says Angel Cohn in Television Without Stupidity, but "watching four or five random dudes butt heads... doesn't sound enticing one bit." The male sensibility is already pervasive on the tube, from "The Daily Show" and "Meet the Press" for politics to "Tosh.0" for "viral video goofs." Unless Walters can assemble a "dream lineup" of co-hosts, this concept's a non-starter.

"'The View' for men: Is this really necessary?"

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Walters can work her magic: Don't forget that "the 'Male View' concept has been done before," says Jean Bentley in TV Squad. From 2001 to 2003, Dick Clark hosted "The Other Half," along with co-hosts Mario Lopez, Danny Bonaduce, Dr. Jan Adams and Dorian Gregory. And, with Barbara Walters "masterminding" the project, it will at least "stand a fighting chance in the crowded daytime market."

"Barbara Walters plans all-male 'The View'"

It might work, but not as expected: On a superficial level, this "idea sounds decent," says Matt Clark in Gather. But I doubt a male take on "The View" would interest as many viewers "as the female version." My guess is that it wouldn't "really attract the male demographic" at all, but function as "an alternate version of 'The View'" with an appeal that's still largely limited to women.

"Barbara Walters creating 'The View' spinoff for..."