60 Minutes Returns Without Pelley Under Bari Weiss
60 Minutes Returns Without Pelley Under Bari Weiss
The News
"60 Minutes" returned to CBS on Sunday night for its 59th season — the first episode since correspondent Scott Pelley was fired, and the first full season produced under CBS News editor Bari Weiss.
The premiere led with a Pentagon exclusive and a hidden-camera expose, according to Deadline.
What it did not do was address the newsmagazine's own off-season turmoil. The Independent and News4Jax both reported the broadcast made no direct mention of the upheaval that has consumed the program since Weiss arrived.
What Changed On Screen
The correspondent lineup was reshuffled and the show's signature stopwatch was refreshed. The New York Times described the result as "more tweak than overhaul," with production values that "seemed glossier."
Timeline
CBS News undergoes a major staff overhaul at "60 Minutes" under new editor Bari Weiss, including a string of high-profile exits, the Hollywood Reporter and Business Insider report. Correspondent Scott Pelley is fired.
Nick Bilton, Bari Weiss and Tom Cibrowski send a congratulatory memo to staff ahead of the season premiere, per the Hollywood Reporter. Business Insider reports CBS News leadership used the memo to sell employees on the relaunch.
Season 59 premieres on CBS with a Pentagon exclusive and a hidden-camera segment, and no on-air reference to the off-season fights.
Reactions
The New York Times, in a review carried by Political Wire, wrote: "The Serious Newsperson cast of correspondents was different — goodbye, Scott Pelley; hello, Ross Douthat — and the production values seemed glossier, a little more Vice News than Huntley-Brinkley Report."
Variety was less impressed, headlining its review that the show kicked off its "much-scrutinized" 59th season with the "same old ticks."
Deadline framed the premiere as a solid news outing delivered "amid plenty of scrutiny of the show itself."
Inside the building, the message was upbeat: Bilton, Weiss and Cibrowski congratulated staff in writing before air, and Business Insider reported CBS News leaders were working to get employees excited about the first full Weiss-era season.
What's Next
Season 59 continues weekly on CBS, and the real test is whether audiences and critics stick with a retooled correspondent bench that now includes Ross Douthat.
Expect continued scrutiny of Weiss's editorial direction at CBS News after the exits that preceded the premiere — and of whether the program eventually addresses on air what it skipped Sunday night.
More
The story was covered by nine outlets across the spectrum, from Variety and Deadline to the New York Times, USA Today and Business Insider — a sign that the fight over who runs "60 Minutes" is now as big a story as anything the show airs.
The Frank could not independently verify details beyond what these outlets reported.
Poll
Should "60 Minutes" have addressed its off-season turmoil on air?
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