When the lone remaining original cast member (besides Barbara Walters) of ABC’s ‘The View’ – Joy Behar – acknowledged she was leaving the show Thursday, some people were shocked.

Since Behar had been seen taking meetings with CNN lately, I wasn’t exactly shocked that Behar acknowledged she would be leaving the show when her contract expired in August. Sixteen years is a long time to do a television show, and Behar really had nothing to prove.

In her departure announcement, Behar said she wanted to do other things and even revisit her comedy roots. I wish her well. She’s acerbic and mean and, hey, I kind of like that.

The bigger surprise came Friday, when TV Guide reported that Elisabeth Hasselbeck – the lone conservative on the panel – had been fired.

Hasselbeck, who has been with the show for nine years, has been at the center of several “fights” on ‘The View,’ over the years. She was part of the whole brouhaha that ushered Rosie O’Donnell out the door, in fact.

A rep from ‘The View’ has denied that Elisabeth has been let go – or rather, her contract will expire in August and she won’t be offered a new one. However, these same reps also denied Rosie O’Donnell and Star Jones’ ousters back in the day – so I’m not sure I believe them.

I’m a fan of ‘The View.’

 

I DVR it every day. I mostly just watch for the Hot Topics – and maybe an interview or two if I’m interested in a guest. I never watch their shopping extravaganzas or musical performances, though.

On a personal note, Whoopi Goldberg is my favorite member of the roundtable. Still, I did enjoy Behar’s hijinks from time-to time.

The problem with the rest of the cast is profound, though. While Barbara Walters is an amazing journalist, she’s kind of been reduced to a name-dropping fool on ‘The View.’ She takes forever to get her point across, and she’s actually holding the show back at times now.

Hasselbeck is not my cup of tea, so I really won’t miss her. I think ‘The View’ desperately needs a smart conservative to balance out the table. Hasselbeck spends all her time talking over the guests – sometimes personally attacking them – and then saying stupid things. Personally, I would like to see someone like Patricia Heaton on the table. She’s a conservative who can make a solid argument to balance out Whoopi’s liberalism.

That leaves Sherri Shepherd – who I have never gotten the appeal of. I don’t think she’s qualified to discuss any subject. In fact, I'm often surprised she can find her way to work every morning.

If ‘The View’ really is ready to shake up the lineup and replace Hasselbeck and Behar, I think they should go with a strong conservative and a younger single woman. I would love to see someone like Lisa Ling return – but I don’t see that in the cards.

I think ‘The View’ still has a place in ABC’s daytime lineup. The show’s next move will definitely be an interesting one, though.

What do you think? Will you miss Behar and Hasselbeck?