'MSNBC Prime' Is Filling In for 'The Rachel Maddow Show' — Here's Why

Those who regularly tune into MSNBC for news and shows with their favorite host may have noticed some changes to the nightly lineup. At 9 p.m. EST, there will be a new show airing — MSNBC Prime. The new show is set to pick up the slack after some changes were made to the schedule for The Rachel Maddow Show. So, what is MSNBC Prime?

It's quite common for hosts to shuffle around from show to show and various segments. But the change for The Rachel Maddow Show seems a bit strange given how many viewers tune in. Is The Rachel Maddow Show gone?

Maddow's show has been airing on MSNBC since September 8, 2008. It was reported that The Rachel Maddow Show is the top performer among MSNBC shows and it was also the highest-rated show for MSNBC. So, is the show over now? Here's what fans should know.

Some may have noticed that the show hasn't been on as frequently and that's because Maddow has chosen to reduce her show from nightly, to just once a week, airing on Mondays. On May 9, Maddow took a moment during her show to remind her audience of the new switch. She informed her audience that if they currently have a setting that records The Rachel Maddow Show, they should keep it but they should also include MSNBC Prime in their DVR recording now, too.

When Maddow signed her 2021 contract with NBCUniversal, it included a $30 million deal along with provisions for her new schedule. So, why is one of the most popular shows on MSNBC stepping back? According to Forbes, Maddow said that the change was "to give myself more time to work on some of this other stuff that I've got cooking for MSNBC and NBC." Maddow has been working on her book and podcast, The Bag Man.

According to NewscastStudio, MSNBC Prime will be filling in on the days that Maddow's show used to air. Previously, The Rachel Maddow Show would air every night at 9 p.m. EST and now it will only air once a week on Monday. MSNBC Prime will pick up the slack by airing at 9 p.m. EST Tuesday through Friday.

New to its Tuesday through Friday schedule, MSNBC Prime will still be produced by the same team that produces The Rachel Maddow Show. The setup of the show will reportedly be similar to that of Maddow's by retaining the blocks of blue, white, and red along with visible cityscapes. What is MSNBC Prime exactly? How is different from any other show?

MSNBC chose to go with the "Prime" tagline to distinguish it from MSNBC Reports. MSNBC Prime will be hosted by Ali Velshi for the first week of its airing but other than that a singular main host hasn't been chosen for its weekly run. According to NewscastStudio, given that MSNBC Prime will still use much of the style found on Maddow's show, it would seem that the plan is to give viewers the impression that Maddow is just absent but not actually gone.