Today with Maura and Daithi, also called simply Today, is a lifestyle show featuring several topical segments including health, cooking, men's & women's fashion, makeovers, DIY and travel as well as dealing with popular issues of the day. The series returned for another season run from 23 September 2019.
Format
Live cookery demonstrations from some of Ireland's top television chefs now forms a daily part of the show with other segments featuring less frequently. Regular experts in each subject appear to discuss the topic at hand. Airing on the RTÉ Onetelevision channel in Ireland, "Today" debuted in November 2012, and replaced previous RTÉ day-time lifestyle shows such as The Daily Show and Four Live. Today was initially hosted each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday by RTÉ presenters Maura Derrane and Dáithí Ó Sé being broadcast from RTÉ Studios in Cork. After the end of the first season RTÉ announced that Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh and Norah Casey's section of the show was being axed. "Today" returned for a second season in September 2013 & is now hosted solely by Maura Derrane and Dáithí Ó Sé from Monday — Friday from RTÉ Cork Studios. The programme returned for a new series which commenced on Monday, 23 September 2019. The show now airs live every weekdays at 3.30pm on RTÉ One. As of 2018, the show is still on the air and very popular, so much so that the programme's hours were extended, and now airs from 3.30pm-5.40pm Mondays to Fridays. It incorporates an RTE News bulletin at 4.00pm. The show's season runs from early September until late May. During the summer months highlights of the show's season air under the banner of "Today Show Bites" RTE also air a repeat of the previous days live edition in the early mornings on RTE One. This is usually scheduled for 8.00am, and it airs in direct competition to their rival live breakfast showIreland AM on TV3, as well as morning shows on the BBC and ITV, which are widely available in Ireland. During the summer months, "Today Show Bites" also airs in the early morning slot.
Reception
Bernice Harrison, reviewer in The Irish Times, wondered in advance if it "might be a livelier alternative" to the "afternoon schedules are clogged with antiques and property programmes".