Coming Together: The Mediaite Interview of the New Gang From The Cycle

When MSNBC’s The Cycle debuted last June, the ensemble show was dismissed (by Fox News’ The Five) as a rip-off of The Five, and gleefully derided over it’s as-expected rocky start in the ratings. Since then, the show has forged an identity of its own that has earned a fan base that even includes Mediaite‘s resident conservative, Noah Rothman. The year has also seen several personnel changes, with the departures of co-hosts Steve Kornacki and S.E. Cupp for greener pastures, the extended absence of Krystal Ball for maternity leave, and the additions of Ari Melber and Abby Huntsman. With Ball’s return from delivering her second child, the new gang is finally all together, and ready to talk.

The philosopher Hannibal Smith once said “I love it when a plan comes together,” and while the twists and turns that have resulted in the current cast of The Cycle may not all have been planned, the new group definitely seems to have come together, demonstrating off-camera the easy repartee that sets the show apart from other cable news shoutfests. Much like Hannibal Smith’s team, The Cyclists each have their own set of skills, and personality quirks to match.

Krystal Ball is the former Democratic congressional candidate from Virginia who became embroiled in the world’s most inane political scandal ever, the discovery of unhidden photos in which she posed, fully-clad, with her husband. One of the four original The Cycle hosts, Krystal provides insights on political strategy, often through the lens of the sexist milieu that gave legs to the so-called scandal that plagued her congressional run. In our interview, she talked about how those forces might affect the prospective 2016 candidacy of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Touré is the other founding member of The Cycle, a provocateur who specializes in social commentary, often on the uncomfortable topic of race. His outspokenness can generate buzz for the show, but also makes him a lightning rod for criticism. Off-camera, Touré has a tendency to dominate conversations with the same mix of humor and self-confidence that he displays in front of it.

When original Cycler Steve Kornacki was tapped to replace Chris Hayes as host of the weekend show Up, attorney and correspondent for The Nation Ari Melber was brought in to replace him, swapping Kornacki’s encyclopedic knowledge of politics with a deep appreciation for the law. As a television personality, Melber is a low-key presence who provides a contrast to his sunnier co-hosts, as well as a sense of authority.

Abby Huntsman, the newest member of The Cycle‘s cast, fills the role of conservative voice that was vacated by S.E. Cupp’s departure to CNN. She’s the daughter of former Governor Jon Huntsman (R-UT), whom Republican primary voters declined to nominate in 2012 despite the White House’s well-documented fear that he had the best chance of beating President Obama. As a contributor for CNN, Abby Huntsman was a comparatively moderate conservative voice, and now continues her quest to drag her party, kicking and screaming about cantaloupe-calved immigrants, into the 21st century. In our wide-ranging interview, Huntsman spoke at length about fitting into the new group, the virtues of being a moderate, and why her party should nominate a candidate like her dad.

While MSNBC has been through a well-documented ratings valley these past few months, The Cycle has seen ratings growth in the past year, posting a 34% increase in the demo for July compared with last year, averaging 98,000 viewers age 25-54. The show’s continued success depends, in large part, on the chemistry between its stars, which carried over well in our interview:

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This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.