TVSquad

Kirstie Alley is coming back to the small screen and Oprah's got her. Harpo Productions has signed Alley for future TV projects. It could be a sitcom like Fat Actress, it could be a talk show, like the one she shopped around last year, but in whatever format, Harpo will be behind it. One definite possibility would be for Kirstie to appear in a show on OWN, the new Oprah Winfrey Network, which used to be Discovery Health Channel.

"Kirstie is a tremendous talent who is incredibly relatable and a true fan favorite, and we are thrilled to welcome her to Harpo," said Tim Bennett, president of Harpo Productions. Recently, Kirstie tested that broad appeal by appearing on Oprah in a bikini, proving that she had indeed lost 75 pounds. (With Jenny Craig's help, although she's no longer working for JC).

The idea of Kirstie as a talk show hostess may be a bit of a stretch, though. She said, "I'm a great listener," but to me she's always been more of a talker. Also, she's an actress -- remember Cheers? Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan? not so much Veronica's Closet. Stiil, if it were up to me, I'd put her into a scripted show. Kirstie also said, "I'm a good comedian. And I won't lie, I live a beautiful life. So I hope to bring those elements together to offer something totally fresh for the television audience."

Whatever the project, it's likely to be given a good launch. Ms. Winfrey has been like Midas with her golden Harpo Productions, getting both Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray into successful talk shows.