‘The Dog Whisperer,” with Cesar Millan, is getting a makeover and a new show after long absence.
Millan ended the series last year after a 9-year run and a shocking story about how he’ had attempted suicide in 2010 after his marriage failed and his favorite dog died.
Yesterday, Nat Geo — the channel that originated the show in 2004 and used it as the foundation for a spinoff channel called Wild — said it was bringing the show back sometime next year.
The new series will be renovated from its familiar format, the network says, with a new angle and new set of producers.
After so many years on the air, “Whisperer” has become too predictable, insiders say, and Millan admitted that he was tired of doing it.
But the network has not been able to find a replacement for the show and is bringing it back.
“He’s incredibly important to the brand,” network executive v.p. and general manager Geoff Daniels told a trade magazine.
Millan now says he is recovered from the depression that followed the breakup of his marriage and the death of his “right-hand” dog, a 16-year-old pit bull named Daddy.
Millan maintains a hugely profitable business empire of pet products and a lecture schedule that brings him up to $75,000 a night, according to reports.