When “Today” debuts Monday morning, NBC executives and producers hope it will look like any other broadcast of the long-running AM show.

Of course that won’t be the case. Yes, Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin will undoubtedly greet viewers with the top news of the day. But while Melvin is a regular on the show, Monday marks his first appearance in the co-host role previously held by Hoda Kotb. The expectation is that viewers won’t bat an eyelid much.

“People know and expect what we give them every day,” Melvin said in an interview last week. “It would be stupid if we tinkered with it too much.”

Melvin takes on the role as Today enjoys a new lease of life. To be sure, traditional viewership for most linear television programming, including the venerable, decades-old morning shows, is in secular decline, but “Today” has shown an interesting dynamic. Over the past 10 weeks, “Today” has gained the most viewers of the three morning shows on the air, usually tied for ABC rival “Good Morning America.” The show, as usual, also attracted the most viewers between 25 and 54, the most sought-after age group by advertisers. “Today” is at its highest ratings streak since April 2012, shortly before Ann Curry was ousted in June of that year in an infamous and tearful farewell that sparked backlash from viewers.

In fact, the personnel changes at “Today” haven’t been so smooth in recent years. Kotb took over the co-host role in 2018 after a controversy involving her longtime predecessor Matt Lauer forced NBC to oust him from the job. Guthrie came to the show after producers discovered that Lauer and then-co-host Curry had not developed a good on-air relationship. “Today” gave up its status as the country’s most-watched morning show to “GMA.”

That was yesterday.

“We really hope it’s a seamless transition,” Guthrie said in an interview last week. Kotb will “still be part of the family. People will see them,” she says, but “Craig was there every day and our viewers know him and our crew knows him.”

“Today” likely got a boost from last summer’s successful NBC broadcast of the 2024 Paris Olympics and tends to gain a broader audience around the holidays. The weeks leading up to Kotb’s departure also drew attention to the program. Now Melvin and Guthrie must keep up the performance as “Today” heads into its first quarter – with the giant Christmas tree that draws people to the New York City blocks outside “Today’s Studio 1A” each year gone for another period.

“This show has conditioned me into thinking that if something goes wrong, it’s my fault,” Melvin says. “They did everything they could do.”

The producers do even more behind the camera. “Today” can’t just try to draw attention to individual events. The NBC News executive who oversees all hours of the morning franchise — about 23 hours a week — says her team also keeps an eye on the basics. “I care about delivering a great show every day and ensuring our content is timely, relevant and helpful to audiences,” said Libby Leist, executive vice president at NBC News. “We know what our mission is, and Craig and Savanah are at the forefront of that.”

Producers made sure viewers are familiar with the entire “Today” staff, which includes Al Roker, Carson Daly, Dylan Dreyer, Sheinelle Jones, Jenna Bush Hager, Peter Alexander, Laura Jarrett and Willie Geist. “Our anchors are really firmly connected. “They’ve been together for a long time,” says Leist. “It’s a very consistent show.”

There’s also a strong emphasis on connecting “Today” with the local stations that show it, she says, with a team on the ground to uncover stories that might resonate strongly in a particular region or market. Making affiliates aware of such things could encourage viewers who follow the local morning news to stick with “Today.” “These relationships are so important,” says Leist.

Melvin and Guthrie expect to play a role in bringing more sports to “Today,” reflecting not only NBC’s ties to the NFL, but also the ties NBC will forge in the fall when it acquires new rights gets to show NBA games as part of a new 11-year pact. Melvin is expected to travel to Milan in the coming weeks to report on the status of preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics in a year’s time – also part of NBC’s sports portfolio.

The show features “more sports than there used to be,” says Guthrie, who may remind viewers that he has interviewed tennis star Roger Federer on multiple occasions. “I want to highlight more stories like this,” says Melvin. Look for Guthrie and Melvin to appear during Sunday night’s halftime show on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”

Melvin’s new job at “Today” follows years of work at NBC News. For several years, Melvin hosted a daytime show on MSNBC along with various “Today” duties and expects to continue appearing in the show’s 9 a.m. hour.

Early in his career, he said, “I didn’t think it was possible.” When I worked at WIS in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, Melvin recalls, “My dream was to expand into a larger market,” which might have been Atlanta or Chicago back then. Moving to a new job out of town was a big deal. “My entire family lives in South Carolina—siblings, parents and uncles all lived within a 15-mile radius.” When he left for a new job at WRC, the NBC station in Washington, D.C., “my grandmother asked me if I am sure about the decision. I was fully prepared to retire there.”

Now one could argue that the new morning pair still has miles to go. “Today” is expanding beyond its traditional morning staple with digital expansions, including a streaming outlet and a new wellness app. “We really tried to meet the audience where they are,” says Guthrie. Monday’s welcome will likely be the first of many.