MSNBC chief Phil Griffin announced Thursday that liberal actor Alec Baldwin’s new show will begin airing at Friday nights at 10 p.m. ET in October.
“I’ve been talking with Alec for a while and can’t wait to bring his personality and eclectic interests to MSNBC,” Griffin said in a release. “He’s got such passion for ideas and what’s going on in the world – he’s going to be a great addition to our line-up.”
MSNBC has aired its documentary-esque weekend program “Lockup” for the last several months in that time slot. On Monday through Thursday, Lawrence O’Donnell’s “The Last Word” airs at 10 p.m.
Baldwin will going going up head-to-head against HBO’s Bill Maher, whose “Real Time” airs at 10 p.m. on the premium cable network.
The “30 Rock” star has had his own radio show/podcast on New York City NPR affiliate WNYC, “Here’s the Thing,” since late 2011.
“After two seasons of my WNYC podcast, I’ve developed a fondness for hosting a show that involved talking with smart, talented and engaging people in every imaginable field,” Baldwin said in the release. “I’m grateful to MSNBC for helping me bring a similar show to television.”
Baldwin’s podcasts over the past two years have featured him conducting long-form interviews with personalities from both the political and pop culture sides of news. The interviews’ average length is roughly 45 minutes.