Is a Mike Greenberg morning show really the future of ESPN ESPN revealed its 2. Tuesdays Upfront presentation. Most notable was what was absent Sports. Watch Cruel But Necessary Streaming. Center. Less than five years after ESPN invested nine figures in a new studio for wall to wall flagship coverage, live Sports. Center will not be on the main network before 6 p. ET. Even that show is a hybrid, born from one of the networks many discussion shows. How ESPN moves forward is a question. The answer, in the morning at least, is a curious one Mike Greenberg. Watch Awful Nice Online Freeform' title='Watch Awful Nice Online Freeform' />His long mooted morning show will debut January 1, 2. ET on ESPN. ESPN will base it in Manhattan. Thats about all we know about it. Show elements, per ESPN, are currently in development. The WWL is promising several co hosts, a rotation of various guests and expert contributors, and a lively mix of news, opinions, and analysis. ESPN senior VP Connor Schell says the goal is to create something truly unique with Mike. Ignoring the unnecessary modifier for unique, thats a tough ask. The immediate thought raised by a Mike Greenberg show is Why will anyone watch that The announcement raised so much excitement it didnt even last a day on the front page of ESPNs PR site. This is not a knock on Greenberg. Watch Awful Nice Online Freeform' title='Watch Awful Nice Online Freeform' />Hes a smooth broadcaster. He has stewarded a quite successful radiosimulcast franchise. But a branded show for him seems to be a move in opposition to the direction ESPN and the rest of the industry are taking. At a time where Stephen A. Smith is the face of the network, ESPN is making a major reported salary north of 6. Greenberg, in many ways, is a holdover from a previous iteration of ESPN. Hes the straight man who is super enthusiastic about sports. Cablefree live TV. No cable box required. Watch major broadcast and cable networks, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, AMC and more, including your. What did the world look like as it was transforming into the horrifying apocalypse depicted in The Walking Dead The answer comes with Fear the Walking Dead, an all. If youre currently relying on your smartphone, laptop, or some kind of monitor setup for your TV time, you can still get your red carpet fix by streaming the 69th. Hes a relentless professional. Hes remarkably non incendiary. Hes almost the antithesis of a take artiste. Is he a natural draw for target demographic viewers Does he draw an audience away from Trey Wingo replacing him on basically the same radio show From the ESPN description, the show sounds a lot like the Mike Mike morphing into Sports GMA vision ESPN presented in 2. One could see Greenberg slotting seamlessly into a George Stephanopoulos role, down to the side part. Such a show could, in theory, appeal. By January 2. 01. TV show with a near zero chance of the latest Donald Trump trainwreck getting brought up. There may be space for a Sports. Center reinvention, before the inevitable move to on demand streaming. Plot summary, cast and crew information, trailer, and user comments. That said, such a show is a vision with many potential pitfalls. The show needs the right balance. A too buttoned up lively mix of news, opinion, and analysis with ESPN experts popping in is going to read exactly like the Sports. Center it is de facto replacing. Theres danger of going too loose as well. Something too freeform will come off like the ESPN personalities sitting around watching the game shows that havent quite panned out or Crowd Goes Wild. They must produce viral elements to work in 2. Greenberg is unlikely to set the table for the sports day with one of his strong opinions. He did not garner a reputation for particularly provocative interviewing on Mike Mike. As we saw with Bill Simmons Any Given Wednesday, its hard to rely on interviews to produce those. You wont get a raving Ben Affleck every day. Theres also a danger the show finds some new, profound way to be lame. Dont think weve forgotten about Whos NowESPN getting the supporting cast right will be critical. Co hosts will have to be younger. The show will need some edge, even a muted, morning show form of it. Does the WWL pull the trigger and bring in Katie Nolan as the Sporting News floated a few months ago Most critical will be having a clear, coherent vision Greenberg can execute. If were still only getting vague statements about Greenberg understanding the morning landscape and promises the show will be lively by December, that wont be a good sign.