I think we should all be thankful that Alec Baldwin isn’t running for office in New York City this year. He kept threatening to run for mayor a few years ago, but I’m glad the big Anger-Bear decided against it. Although it could have been fun to see Alec Baldwin scream at Anthony Weiner for 20 full minutes in lieu of a “debate”. But I was wondering why Alec had decided to forgo any sort of public office during this election cycle, figuring that it couldn’t just be because his wife Hilaria is expecting (any day now). Here’s one possible reason… Alec may be in negotiations for his own MSNBC primetime show. Oh dear God…

Mediaite has learned from a senior source in the cable news industry with knowledge of MSNBC’s programming that actor Alec Baldwin is getting his own weekly show in MSNBC’s primetime lineup.

According to our source, the so far untitled show will air Fridays at 10 p.m. ET and will feature a large dose of Baldwin’s outspoken liberal politics.

The gig would make sense, considering Baldwin’s long history with the NBC family. He starred on the network’s award-winning sitcom 30 Rock for seven years, has frequently hosted Saturday Night Live, and hosted the network’s American airing of 2007′s Live Earth concert. Most important, Baldwin’s fiercely liberal and often combative political views make sense for a network that has become the place for progressive viewpoints on cable.

The MSNBC 10 p.m. hour is currently occupied by Lawrence O’Donnell, but only Monday through Thursday. As such, this new Baldwin show will not replace any of the network’s primetime talk shows — just the Lockup prison documentary series that airs Friday evenings.

Our source insists its a done deal but there is no question MSNBC is not quite prepared for an announcement. Yet.

Viewers curious about Baldwin’s new role may do well to watch the video below from last year, when, according to The LA Times Baldwin helped O’Donnell out by reading his segment teasers. The Times article includes some interesting yet unintentional foreshadowing, suggesting all the way back in May 2012 that “Baldwin may find that anchor seat a little too comfortable.”

UPDATE: An MSNBC source responds: “We’re fans of Alec but we’ve got nothing to say regarding this unconfirmed report.”

[From Mediaite]

See, MSNBC didn’t give a hard no, which means there probably have been negotiations. As I said in the Matt Damon post, I’m a political liberal and I like how MSNBC programs to me. I watch Alex Wagner when I’m eating lunch and I watch Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow in the evenings usually, and I LOVE Melissa Harris-Perry on the weekends. The 10 pm slot Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Friday, I guess) is filled by Lawrence O’Donnell, who is okay but I rarely watch his show. This Mediaite report makes it seem like Alec is just talking with MSNBC about a Friday night show and that’s it? If it’s just one hour-long show a week, this is more of a small vanity project rather than some major primetime shake-up. That being said, I doubt Alec will be able to contain his RAGE MONSTER for just one hour a week. He’s going to end up punching Rachel Maddow, isn’t he?

Photos courtesy of WENN.