Drew Barrymore hopes to use the pandemic to her advantage in launching The Drew Barrymore Show

Variety

“I think the limitations of the pandemic made us a more modern show,” says Barrymore, whose CBS-distributed syndicated daytime talk show debuts today. “When forced to think differently, we tried to turn every obstacle into an opportunity.” Since Barrymore can't have an in-person audience, she'll be utilizing an Audience From Anywhere service that allows her to assemble customized virtual audiences to adapt to the needs of each day's show, such as a virtual crowd of mothers for a segment about parenthood. As The Washington Post's Emily Yahr reports, The Drew Barrymore Show "will take place with a small crew in a New York studio, with pandemic-related rules and precautions. Instead of an in-person audience, members of a virtual crowd will be beamed in via Zoom and projected on a large display behind Barrymore. Guests who live on the West Coast have the option to appear via green-screen and sit across from the host, hologram-style." CBS Television Distribution's Rich Cervini says Barrymore and his team never seriously considered delaying the show from its fall start due to the pandemic. “We were so determined to do this show and to do it in New York. Drew was the guiding light on that. She was so determined to fulfill this dream of hers. That made us determined to figure out a way to make Plan B better than Plan A.” In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Barrymore was reflective of her past. When Barrymore was asked about flashing David Letterman in 1995 when she was 20, she responded: "I think if there's one thing I've learned in a very long life in front of people is there is a line. There is TMI. And I kind of know what that line is, and it's a feeling." Meanwhile, Barrymore tells The New York Post she hopes to inject her well-known brand of humor and positivity into the show. “I love optimism and happiness but I’m really desperate to show that happiness is a choice and the choice isn’t always easy,” she says. “It isn’t always available and it’s not just a silly, blind happiness, it’s the one we work for. You have to fight for it. I can’t think of a better reward.” ALSO: Watch Barrymore and Adam Sandler "reboot" 50 First Dates.