FAYETTEVILLE, GA — Long before she would sit behind the "Inside Edition" news desk and appear on television screens across America, Deborah Norville walked the halls of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
The Dalton native was still a student at Grady when she got her first internship in television working for Georgia Public Broadcasting. That program would slingshot her career from her first position at WAGA-TV in Atlanta to Chicago to MSNBC and eventually to "Inside Edition" and two Emmys.
Now, she's back in Georgia where it all began.
Norville spent weeks this summer recording episodes for season two of her daytime game show, "The Perfect Line," at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville, the massive
filming complex from the family behind Chick-fil-A.
"It is such a wonderful full circle moment because the studio where we are right now here is probably less than 10 miles from where I started my career at Channel Five," Norville told USA TODAY in an interview from her green room.
Norville left "Inside Edition" after three decades behind the desk in May 2025, and has now taken on the daytime television market offering her audience a reprieve from "so many things that can make you be frustrated."
"For 30 minutes during this show, I know I'm giving people a respite from whatever else is going on in their lives or in the world. I also know because I'm a fact queen, my brain has always been filled with what I jokingly call useless information, and here it's useful," Norville said.
What is "The Perfect Line"?
Starting on Monday, viewers can tune in to the Game Show Network at 4:30 p.m. E.T. every week day to test their knowledge with Norville and her show's second season.
The show asks four contestants to compete to put items from a category in a specific order, or, the "perfect" line.
For example, when USA TODAY visited the studio earlier this year, contestants were asked to place classic 80s films in order by their release date. Norville starts the round by offering one movie and it's release date, then, each contestant can either choose to place a movie below, above or in between other films. When contestants get a movie right, they earn money and can head to the next round. The contestants with the most points after each round get to stay, until there is just one contestant left on stage. The winner of each episode can take home as much as $15,000 after a fast-paced final round.
"I'll tell you what really appealed to me about this show. It was different. It's unlike anything else that's on television and I think that's why 'The Perfect Line' is finding an audience," Norville said. "You can play this game along with us at home, and you don't have to know the fact. You have a good chance of being in the game if you just guess and put it in the right place."
She said it's also a great way to learn about things you may have never known, and bring those bits of trivia into your own life.
"I think at the end of the day, all of us want to, from time to time, feel like we're adding something, that we're a little bit special, that people look at us and go, 'Oh, they always contribute.' And so, if you want this show and you remember one or two of these silly little tidbits of trivia that we share with you, it'll randomly come up in something, and for that moment, you'll feel kind of special, and that's nice," Norville said.
How Norville finds balance
Norville stepped away from the news industry at a time of uncertainty that grew in her 30 years at "Inside Edition." She said she was "up to (her) neck" in news more than eight hours a day as anchor.
"I can tell you, it affects me. It's not not to, you know, if you're an American who cares about your country and fairness and all these things, there's so many things that can make you be frustrated," Norville said.
In the new era of her career, Norville instead now works to find balance in her own life. While filming the game show and preparing to spend more time with her family as she gets ready to welcome a grandchild, Norville still creates what she now calls "Inside Today."
Norville shares three-minute news updates to her nearly 50,000 Instagram followers giving a snapshot into daily news, usually on breaking topics or issues Norville cares about.
"It forces me to dive in and just really see what's going on in the world and distill it down into three minutes or less of just headlines, and I think the one thing I've got going — well, I hope I have more than one thing — but a thing I have going for me is because I've been on television for so many years, I think I have a deep reservoir of trust. I think people appreciate that if I'm saying something, I have validated it before it comes out of my mouth," Norville said.
She said with Instagram's 2 billion daily users, it's a way for her to connect with her audience like never before. She may have made her career through broadcast television, but she hopes to change with the industry and the times, and by doing this series it's a way for her to honor her time behind the desk.
Grady students get a shot in the industry
Norville has lived out of state for decades, but she still maintains a deep connection to the University of Georgia and the students that are hoping to follow in her footsteps.
When Norville learned her show would be shooting in her home state, she knew she wanted "sharp" Grady students on her set.
"We've got Grady people working all over here. There's a bunch of them. So when last year they said we're going to be shooting in Georgia, I said, 'Well, you're going to need PAs, you're going to need runners, you're going to need extra bodies,' and I know where you can find incredibly well-prepped people who need resume experience and they need to be paid," Norville said.
She advocated for students and recent graduates to be hired not as interns, but as staff so they could get practical experience and an official position to take with them into the workforce. At least four of the students who worked on season one of the show are now working in the television industry.
"That's what it's all about," Norville said. "The industry is really challenged right now. So my advice to young people is get the training, become adept at the skills that are needed, and that's thinking quickly, distilling information, sussing out facts, having a BS meter so you know when someone's trying to snow you abut something that's now true. Know how to verify things, question everything, be skeptical of anything anybody tells you.
"I think if a young person, if a student, equips themselves with all those things and then recognizes that all of those skills are transferable to so many other areas. If I'm running a business, I want someone who is skeptical of information. I want someone who can think quickly on their feet. I want someone who can distill information down to its core essential themes. I want someone who is obsessed with verification, so your skills as a journalist are transferable to so many other professions."
When she's in town, she also makes sure to hit her favorite spots.
"When I'd come home from Athens, I'd be going up to Dalton. If I didn't stop at the Varsity and bring back a sack of burgers home, people were upset with me," Norville said. "I love Mary Mac's on Ponce de Leon (in Atlanta). I love the three vegetable main plate. If you just get the three vegetables and get the cornbread, that's really good."
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Full circle moment.' GA native Deborah Norville back for new season
