The show was to "line up actors, comedians, politicians and other newsmakers in the American pop culture sphere as guests.

The pilot episode aired (with its original name) after the 90th Academy Awards as a "sneak peek" on March 4, 2018.

[1][3][4] In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter's Lacey Rose, Baldwin went on to elaborate on his reasons for committing to the program.

He explained how the limited number of episodes allowed for greater freedom and discretion when it comes to selecting guests.

Notable personalities that Baldwin mentioned as possible guests included Stephen King, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, and Bruce Springsteen.

[5] On May 15, 2018, it was announced that the series, now retitled The Alec Baldwin Show, would officially premiere in the fall of 2018 and air on Sundays at 10 PM[6] On October 9, 2018, it was announced that the first formal episode of the series was scheduled to premiere on October 14, 2018, and that Robert De Niro and Taraji P. Henson would serve as guests.

Subsequent guests were expected to include Kim Kardashian, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., RuPaul, Kerry Washington, Cecile Richards, Jeff Bridges, Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris Christie, Mike Myers, Regina King, Gloria Allred, Ricky Gervais, and Erna Solberg.

[21] In a positive review, Verne Gay of Newsday offered the pilot praise giving it two and a half stars out of four, commenting on its potential, saying, "Baldwin is the sort of star—either actor, talk show host, POTUS, whatever—who elicits passion.

"[22] In a more negative critique, Kelly Lawler of USA Today said of the pilot, "Baldwin, who had a short-lived talk show on MSNBC in 2013, is a decent interviewer, but the talk never gets too deep or reveals new insights about his subjects" and that he "tries his level best, but the show is too slight to really click.