AFP, LONDON: Former veteran CNN talk show host Larry King said Friday that his successor, British journalist Piers Morgan, had been "oversold" to television audiences in the United States.
King bowed out in December after 25 years as host of "Larry King Live" and the Atlanta-based news network launched a huge advertising campaign to publicise Morgan's debut the following month.
"I think they might have been better off starting quietly," King told the BBC.
King, 77, said he had not watched many episodes of the show and that Morgan, whose first guest was chat show legend Oprah Winfrey, seemed a "fine broadcaster".
But he added: "I think one of the problems they did was over sell it. He was going to be dangerous, he was going to be water cooler talk."
"He's good but not that dangerous. I think they might have been better off starting quietly and that's not Piers's fault, or maybe it is, I'm not inside anymore," said King.
"He's certainly not bad. He's certainly an acceptable host. He asks good questions, maybe he interrupts a little too much at times. I think he may have been oversold."
Winfrey told Morgan "You're good" during the interview but US critics have given him mixed reviews.
