MSNBC taps Alex Wagner to replace Rachel Maddow in prime time

Alex Wagner is returning to the spotlight on MSNBC, replacing Rachel Maddow four days a week on the channel.

The cable news and opinion network picked Wagner to host a show on weeknights at 9 p.m. EST, according to multiple reports.

Wagner replaces Maddow, MSNBC’s top-rated talent, who recently announced she will be scaling back her hosting duties on her nightly show to focus on other projects while remaining with NBC Universal.

Wagner, 44, hosted a daytime opinion show on MSNBC during a previous stint with the company, which was canceled in 2015. She recently rejoined the network as a political analyst and has worked as a guest host for Maddow and other anchors in prime time since.

“This is not a show where our hair is on fire and we’re yelling past each other, and we’re creating these manufactured moments of tension,” Rashida Jones, president of MSNBC told The New York Times in reference to the vision of Wagner’s show. “I really want the takeaway from this show to be a better understanding of what’s happening in the world.”

Jones did not consult with Maddow about her replacement, the network’s president said.

Wagner’s new Tuesday through Friday program will reportedly debut later this summer and has yet to be named.

Since leaving MSNBC in 2015, Wagner has worked for a number of other outlets, including CBS and The Atlantic, and as a host of the Showtime docuseries “The Circus.”

Once Wagner’s show debuts, Maddow will host the 9 p.m. hour on MSNBC on Mondays, with Wagner hosting Tuesday through Friday.