Cher

Cher was an American variety show that premiered on CBS in 1975, hosted by singer-actress Cher. The show had many famous musical guests. It followed a TV special featuring Elton John, Bette Midler, and Flip Wilson as guests. Cher premiered at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 16, 1975, and finished the season ranked first among variety shows and twenty-second among all programs, with a 21.3 average household share, also receiving the most fan mail of any CBS program at the time. The first season aired Sundays at 7:30 and the second aired at 8:00. Overview The show featured Cher interviewing various celebrity guests ranging from musicians to actors and pop culture figures. The series also featured sketches and comedic field reports. Cher would also perform her songs with a live band. David Geffen, with whom Cher had an affair while waiting for her divorce from Sonny Bono to be finalized, served as producer. With Sonny, Cher had co-starred in The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour for CBS from 1971 to 1974, before the two divorced amid major bitterness and acrimony. Each partner would get their own series: Cher got this series on CBS, while Sonny (who got to keep all of the staff and intellectual property from the Comedy Hour) got The Sonny Comedy Revue. Cher was allowed to keep the Comedy Hour's musical director, Jimmy Dale, and Comedy Hour director Art Fisher also directed several Cher episodes. The two were to face each other head-to-head in the ratings, but ABC cancelled the Revue before Cher premiered. By the end of the season, Sonny and Cher had set aside their differences and agreed to reunite. She later stated that doing the show alone was overwhelming. Cher was immediately replaced by a revived The Sonny & Cher Show, with a new production and writing team. With Sonny, the new show lasted 1 seasons, airing until 1977.