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Hosting The Perfect Line is the perfect fit for Deborah Norville’s next chapter.
After 30 years of covering the news at Inside Edition, Norville is embarking on a new journey with a game show that asks contestants to accomplish the simple task of putting a list of things in the correct order for a chance to win up to $15,000.
The concept has pleased even the toughest critic in Norville’s life: her husband, Karl Wellner.
Quantrell Colbert for CBS Media Ventures
“He’s a very tough critic,” Norville exclusively tells PEOPLE of her longtime love, whom she says “came to the studio and sat through several episodes of tapings.”
“He walked out of here in love with the game, surprised, like, ‘Deb, you’re really good at this,'” she recalls him telling her. “He saw me as a performer in a way he’d never seen me before.”
Norville says getting her husband’s seal of approval was a meaningful moment for her.
“When I said to the kids, ‘Y’all, dad liked this show,'” she remembers telling their children — Mikaela, Kyle and Niki. “They’re like, ‘Dad liked it? That’s a very good endorsement.'”
Norville says Wellner “didn’t care” what she did after leaving Inside Edition, because, as she put it, “he cares that I’m happy.”
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“And I’ll tell you what he said … he said, ‘I have not seen you this happy at work in a long time,'” she gushes. “And that was really lovely to hear.”
Norville previously told PEOPLE ahead of her Inside Edition departure in May that it was the “right move” for her marriage and kids.
With her family supporting her fully, Norville hopes her new era as a game show host shows viewers a new side of her.
“I think when people tune in today, they’re going to see, oh, I’ve actually never seen Deborah Norville in that kind of role,” she explains, “where I’m running around the studio, or I’ve got my arm around the contestant and I’m trying to help them … or just cracking wise with somebody.”
“That’s what I do in my real life, but my real life has never been on television in that way, and now I get to bring a little bit of what I do with my friends and family into the studio with the contestants.”
Quantrell Colbert for CBS Media Ventures
Norville says she believes viewers will be “a little bit surprised” to discover that she’s “kind of chill.”
“I think they’re going to have that reaction,” she predicts.
Norville says she wants those watching at home to walk away with something, too.
“At the end of the 30 minutes, the person on the TV is the one who got the money. You, sitting at home, got entertained, but you don’t get anything,” she says.
In addition to 30 minutes of what she promises as “enjoyable viewing on television,” fans will also get “a little nugget or two” of what she calls “useless information” — or “fun facts” that you can pull out to impress your friends.
Ash Bean
Whether that’s her giving you a pull-rate for a specific poker hand or rattling off stats about the titular wheel on Wheel of Fortune, Norville’s goal is to offer those watching “the opportunity to be a little more sparkly” in their day-to-day life.
“Honestly, that’s kind of where I am in my life and my career,” she shares. “There’s so much negativity out there. If I can be a part of something that makes people smile and feel good about themselves or have a good chuckle, I’m all in.”
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The Perfect Line launches Sept. 8 and airs in syndication Monday to Friday, with a second run on Game Show Network.
