He’s got those familiar red chairs and a stellar lineup of Canadian guests. But can George Stroumboulopoulos conquer the U.S.A?

Parachuting the long-time CBC talk show host into Los Angeles to help shore up flagging CNN ratings is, admittedly, not quite on the same seismic scale as former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney’s move to turn around the Bank of England.

But this time around it looks like nobody noticed. Or maybe nobody cared.

A sneak preview Sunday night saw the second lowest numbers ever for that time slot, with 192,000 total viewers.

The pressure is on for him to do better in his regularly scheduled Friday night outing.

Guests on his most recent show included Happy Days star Henry Winkler, TheWalking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, and comic Howie Mandel, who gave his fellow Canadian a shout out.

“I got to say, for those Americans who haven’t seen you before, I’ve been doing this for 35 years and people ask me all the time — but the best interview, the most in-depth interview, the most comfortable I’ve ever felt doing an interview, is with you,” said Mandel. “

Stroumboulopoulos’ interviewing skills are first rate, allowing viewers a deeper look at celebrity. But it remains to be seen whether American viewers will want a sometimes meandering dialogue that allows for plenty of exploration, but doesn’t always have a punch line.

Perhaps what is most striking is that the format, including the set and the video set-up to introduce the guests, seems lifted right out of his CBC show, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight.

http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/

The big, square red chairs are there on the CNN set, but overall it’s less elegant than his CBC digs. It looks like a retro game show from the 1980s, with the red chairs and swoopy orange background.

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The primary colours were all the more startling since the lead-in for the premiere was Anthony Bourdain, which showed spectacularly gritty and intense HD cinematography from the food critic’s trip to Congo before cutting to Strombo’s Reebok sneaker-inspired set.

Unlike in his past Canadian series, there is little monologue from Strombo. Similarly, there is no “Welcome to the show. I’m your boyfriend, George Stroumboulopoulos.” Which is perhaps a blessing. Carrying an extended opening monologue, especially if you don’t have the comedic chops of a Jay Leno or Conan O’Brien, is tough stuff. It was a weakness of Strombo’s early CBC shows.

The good news is that the Friday night numbers will likely rebound as audiences get familiar with the Canadian. And he will likely do much better in his regular late night slot, which is far less competitive than Sunday night, when he had to premiere against Game of Thrones and Mad Men, not to mention special events such as the Tony Awards and the NBA finals.

New CNN chief Jeff Zucker has tried to attract a younger generation of viewers to the network. His mandate is to shake things up as the original cable news network is being badly beaten by front-runner Fox News.

Fox’s formula has been to have strong, outspoken personalities to appeal to viewers. But CNN is getting in on the action. The prickly Bourdain is a sign of things to come, as is documentary maker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) and Strombo.

To Stroumboulopoulos’ credit, he isn’t afraid of waving the Canadian flag. And there is no shortage of talent in Hollywood. Next week it will be actress Ellen Page, while his debut featured Canadian comedian Martin Short and actor Keanu Reeves.

His third guest that night was rapper Wiz Khalifa. You would be hard pressed to see Piers Morgan carrying on an extended conversation with Khalifa about weed, as Strombo did.

But if it was CNN’s intention to put Strombo at the centre of pop culture, it is the equivalent of Sears trying, perhaps a little desperately, to get jiggy.

Viewers will learn far more about who is relevant today by watching MTV’s The Show With Vinny (Vinny Guadagnino from Jersey Shore) who takes stars such as Lil Wayne and Redfoo into his Staten Island home in a mostly unscripted setting. It’s also more entertaining.

This is not the first time that Strombo has tried to crack the U.S. market. In 2006, The One: Making a Music Star, which was reported to be ABC’s most expensive summer series, bombed spectacularly and was pulled after four episodes.

Stroumboulopoulos has a 10-episode deal with CNN before he returns to the CBC. But he’s at least got one more American fan if his show isn’t renewed.

“George, I’m very happy to be with you,” said Winkler in his Fonzie accent. “Because you ask very good questions. I have sat in this seat where people have not done their homework. And it’s boring.”