WATCH: Chris Cuomo Returns to Primetime, Promises to 'Change the Game': 'I'm Different'

Chris Cuomo has returned to primetime, and this time, he says things will be different. 

During his first show on NewsNation last night, the disgraced CNN anchor kicked things off with a quote from William Shakespeare. "'The past is prologue,'" he said, quoting The Tempest. "...meaning that all that has happened before led to this moment, and so it is with me being here with you tonight. I believe that."

Cuomo spent much of his opening monologue explaining that he had "learned lessons, good and bad" from the people in his life, and that this show would be different because he's "different" now.

"I've spent a lot of time looking and listening on the sidelines. It's obvious to me that we need people in my position to do more. To not just play, or even referee the game that is plaguing our politics and society," said Cuomo. "That means exposing the game. Show when it’s played. Show how it’s being played. And also, to be more transparent about where my head is, on the issues that we cover." 

After diving into his biography, he also tried to sell viewers on fledgling network NewsNation, a place that is for "regular people, not the fringe". By Cuomo's assertion, NewsNation caters to "reasonable" people who fall right in the middle and are sick of "groupthink" and the media not following the things that really matter. 

"I’m not gonna follow the pack," he promised. "I'm gonna expose the game."

Cuomo was fired from CNN last year following revelations that he had advised his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in the face of sexual harassment allegations made against him. 

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.