Chris Harrison is undeniably best known for his years in Bachelor Nation, which involved long runs on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise. Those runs ended in 2021, however, when he was ousted from the franchise in the wake of controversial comments about racism. He hadn't returned to TV for a major gig since 2021 and was absent from the early 2024 TV schedule, but that's about to change, as a collaboration with Dr. Phil is resulting in not one but two new shows.
And yes, one of them is a dating show. ET reports that Chris Harrison is working with Dr. Phil McGraw for his upcoming Merit Street Media network, which was created by McGraw in Dallas, TX. The Bachelor alum will host a dating show, host a morning show, and pitch in to Dr. Phil Primetime. His work with Merit Street Media began with contributions to the primetime show, with Dr. Phil himself telling the outlet that "the audience went insane" when Harrison walked out for the first time.
Of course, fans of Bachelor Nation – currently hosted by Jesse Palmer – may be more curious about the new dating show than Harrison's contributions to Dr. Phil Primetime. Dr. Phil commented that it will have "dating elements in it" in a "so different and so novel" way. He thinks that "people are gonna become addicted to it in a week" for how it flips the script. Chris Harrison commented on his new dating show gig, saying to the outlet:
People got to know and love me for two decades hosting The Bachelor, so, yes, we are going to be creating a reality dating show. For years and years I said, 'This is the most dramatic show ever.' We want to create a show where those words actually ring true, so this dating show will be the most dramatic ever -- that you can be sure of.
Harrison certainly isn't kidding about his tendency to hype things as the "most dramatic" during his tenure on Bachelor Nation, and he seemingly doesn't think much of that in hindsight, if we go by his comment about wanting a show where "those words actually ring true." His words are particularly interesting in light of how he previously described The Bachelor as "a blessing," but it was also "horrifying on a lot of levels."
He didn't drop specific details about the format of the show, but previewed a bit more about what's coming:
What they're doing here is groundbreaking, innovative. It's going to be fun, of course it's going to be entertaining. We're doing television here, but I truly believe what this place stands for. [I'm] proud to be a part of it, and, above all else, we're doing it in our own backyard.
Chris Harrison's second show for Merit Street Media will be a morning show that he co-hosts with wife Lauren Zima, with Zima telling ET that their relationship "is a big part of the morning show" because they want to connect with their audience, and "What's more relatable than talking about our relationship and what's going on in our own lives?"
Harrison and Zima seem to be embarking on a major collaboration with Dr. Phil, although his network hasn't launched just yet to reveal the full lineup of programming. News broke back in November 2023 that Dr. Phil would be launching a new cable TV network called Merit Street Media, with the goal of providing viewers with news and entertainment. In addition to Dr. Phil Primetime and the two projects with Chris Harrison, the network will deliver four hours of original primetime content, including a live hour of news. Future programming is set to include true crime and family-friendly shows.
Merit Street Media isn't set to launch until April 2, so there's still almost a month left before Dr. Phil's network hits the airwaves. It's also not clear if Harrison's two shows will be part of the lineup when it launches in early April, so only time will tell on that front. For now, any Bachelor Nation fans who have been missing Chris Harrison can count on seeing him back in the reality dating sphere, just not in the same way.
