Like a disappointed rubbernecker, it feels wrong when you are braced for the worst and witness the ordinary. As Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE:MSO) and General Electric (NYSE:GE) began releasing the details of Martha Stewart's new television show, I was actually let down.
Come September, once Stewart is done serving her jail and house arrest sentence, the hour-long daily show with a live studio audience will begin airing on NBC affiliates around the country. The show will feature celebrity guests, cooking, and home crafts. In other words, it's pretty much what Stewart and her company were doing before her questionable stock sale did her in.
That's where she lost me. When the company announced that it had turned to edgy producer Mark Burnett to herald Stewart's return to television, I guess the rubbernecker in me wanted something richer than vanilla ice cream.
Burnett is the mastermind behind The Apprentice and Viacom's (NYSE:VIA) Survivor. No, I wasn't expecting Stewart to snuff out tiki torches, put guests through immunity challenges, or fire her guests. However, after all that Stewart has gone through -- whether you feel that it's just desserts or undeserved -- I figured that bringing Burnett aboard was the company's realization that Omnimedia couldn't go back home again.
Then again, maybe this is just the beginning. When Burnett signed on in September, there was talk of a weekly prime-time show to go along with the daily daytime show. Maybe that's where Burnett will get really provocative. It's not that I think Stewart should lampoon herself -- that would get old in a hurry. But it's a shame to pack all that notoriety in a dresser drawer without ever milking it appropriately.
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor newsletter recommended the stock two years ago while it was languishing in the single digits -- eventually advising its readers to cash out with hefty gains. The stock has continued to climb, leading some to cynically wonder if prison is more lucrative than business school. While I am glad to see that Stewart will be back to her arts and crafts ways next fall -- for her sake -- I trust that Burnett will eventually deliver on the promised entertainment.
Will you be watching Martha Stewart's new show come September? Is she doing the right thing? Will the show work? How are you sprucing up your digs for the holidays? All this and more -- in the Crafty Fools discussion board. Only on Fool.com.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz believes that Martha is worthy of a second chance -- so he's still going to watch. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story and is a member of the Rule Breakers analytical team, seeking out the next great growth stock early in its defiance.
