CNN’s Bill Weir on Why Hosting ‘The Wonder List’ is Best Job in TV News

“It was a little bit of an ice bath to take off the tie and walk away from the studio for this amount of time,” Weir tells TheWrap

Former ABC News anchor Bill Weir has been at CNN for over a year, but Sunday might be his true debut.

“The Wonder List,” hosted by Weir, debuts at 10 p.m. ET, chronicling Weir and filmmaker Phillip Bloom’s six-month odyssey across five continents to some of the world’s most treasured destinations, where they spotlight unique peoples, places, cultures and change.

The show, which is the first original series CNN produced in-house, was the ideal opportunity for Weir.

“I have the best job in TV news, hands down,” Weird told TheWrap. “It was a little bit of an ice bath to take off the tie and walk away from the studio for this amount of time. I’ve been on TV on a daily basis for 23 years, so to sort of disappear and go off and make movies was interesting, but I’ve absolutely loved it.”

Across eight hour-long episodes, Weir meets tribes from the volcanic islands of the South Pacific, embeds with conservationists in the Galapagos, examines Ikarians who outlive Americans, explores whether the Dead Sea is drying up and more.

“To be able to luxuriate in a place for two weeks at a time… and how fast we turned this around and got it on air; I’m incredibly grateful to get the space and time.”

“The Wonder List” debuts on Sunday, Mar. 1 at 10 p.m. on CNN.

Comments