The Fresno Bee

CNN ends Charles Barkley-Gayle King show ‘King Charles’

- BY BRIAN NIEMIETZ

Former NBA star Charles Barkley and CBS reporter Gayle King are finished with their shortlived CNN program “King Charles” after six months of shows.

“‘King Charles’ has come to the end of its

Charles Barkley

Gayle King

limited run, as we announced when it launched last fall, and was a great addition to CNN’s lineup, with the youngest, most affluent, and most diverse P2+ audience in its cable news time period,” CNN confirmed Monday.

A “P2+ audience” refers to viewers who are not infants or toddlers. The network boasted the program attracted “the most diverse audience (44% non-White) of CNN’s regular prime programmin­g,” since launching Nov. 29.

King told viewers last week she and Barkley would no longer be a team.

“We have to say this is the last show of our limited series,” she said.

When their show started, the unconventi­onal pairing promised “freewheeli­ng

and authentic conversati­ons centered around the week’s most interestin­g stories, moments and cultural themes.”

“It flew by,” Barkley said Wednesday on the program’s final episode. “I just want to thank everybody.”

“King Charles” struggled overall to attract viewers in its prime time spot. The show’s premiere marked CNN’s lowestrate­d prime time weeknight series debut in at least a decade, according to the Daily Beast.

But a CNN representa­tive told the Daily News “The show ran its full run and we’re happy with it. It brought in a lot of new (particular­ly diverse) audiences to CNN.”

King claimed on the final episode of “King Charles” she and Barkley will likely team-up elsewhere at some point.

“Something tells me, Charles, this will not be the last time – just saying – that we’ll work together,” she said.

Barkley replied “Call me, Gayle.”

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