MSNBC largely stays the visual course with ‘The Weeknight,’ ‘The Weekend’ and ‘Briefing’ launches

MSNBC began rolling out a slate of new and revamped programming May 3, 2025.

First up was the retooled version of “The Weekend” with new hosts Jonathan Capehart, MSNBC Senior Washington Correspondent Eugene Daniels and MSNBC Washington Correspondent Jackie Alemany. 

The show, which originally featured Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez, continues to broadcast from Studio N5 at NBC News’ Washington, D.C., bureau near Capitol Hill.

Like the previous iteration, the show sticks with a similar setup in the space, with a round table in the center of the space. The show continues to be shot in the round and with similar graphics. One notable change, however, is that each of the co-hosts now takes a turn teasing a particular topic or story in front of various portions of the space’s LED video walls. These segments are presented from a standing position with a bold topical graphic behind each host.

The new primetime weekend edition of the show, “The Weekend: Primetime,” is produced from Studio 3A in New York City. It takes on a darker look as is fitting its air time, while also being shot in the round. There’s a bit more emphasis on a skyline — in this case NYC’s — in the video wall graphics and the show also makes use of the LED ribbon in the space to bring remote guests into the conversation.

At one point in its debut edition, six people — four co-hosts and two guests — were packed around the circular table, which made one-shots a bit challenging for some positions. Overall, however, 3A is a much larger space and has already seen roundtable-style setups, such as those used for “Morning Joe,” used for the various programs to have used the space over the years.

The show also incorporated the glass-in walkway and workspace as a background element, including filling the LED picture frames with matching graphics.

“Primetime” had each host introduce a topic at the top of the show, but had them read from their seated positions in a two-box layout instead of using the video walls.

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Both the weekend versions of the show also feature a brief open with each of the co-hosts featured on-screen.

On Monday, May 5, 2025, “The Weeknight” debuted from Studio N5, the same space it had used previously. It also received updated graphics that also emphasized a darker look with an emphasis on blues and violets. The show notably does not include a full-length formal open and instead shows all three hosts on-screen in a quick animated sequence before cutting to a three-box before diving into its first topic.

Forgoing a formal open is not uncommon among many MSNBC shows and it is likely part of a strategy to encourage viewers to stay tuned as shows transition. The show also did not use a split screen handoff at the top of the show as it “The ReidOut,” which previously occupied the timeslot, typically did between “The Beat” anchor Ari Melber and former host Joy Reid.

Finally, “The Briefing with Jen Psaki” debuted in the coveted 9 p.m. hour, replacing “Alex Wagner Now,” as the four-night-a-week show that airs when “The Rachel Maddow Show” is in its once-weekly format.

The show retained much of the look used on Psaki’s previous show, “Inside,” which centers on a bold geometric look inspired by the street map of the District of Columbia, though obviously the wordmark was updated.

Psaki also moved to Studio N5, rather than N1. It had been sharing space with other NBC News productions, including “Meet the Press,” “Hallie Jackson Now” and “Meet the Press Now.”

The show brought its gold-accented round table and custom circular floor covering up with it. While Studio N1 has multiple archways backed with LED video walls, N5 features that large array with three uninterrupted spans with “end caps” on each side.

This did mean the show updated its graphics, including introducing a live feed of the Capitol dome in the center of the longer wall. Remote interviews could be showcased on one side with the guest’s face shown inside of a blue background framed by a stylized outline of the dome.