'Live with Kelly and Ryan' returns for 34th season with special tribute to NYC

NEW YORK -- It was a special day at WABC on Tuesday as "Live with Kelly and Ryan" kicked off their 34th season.

And they did it with a special tribute to New York City -- "Live" was back in the New York groove as it roared into a new season in studio after wrapping up the 2020-21 season as the top syndicated talk show in the country.

"When so many people were sort of trapped at home, stuck indoors," host Kelly Ripa said. "A lot of people were alone and we tried to like fill that void maybe, a little distraction."

"I think we look at that companionship, as an important component, you know, I think we hope that anybody who doesn't know us, feels like they know us," said host Ryan Seacrest.

The return to the studio kicked off with a special "Live Loves New York Week."

"I love New York week is the most authentic week I can possibly ever have here, because I have had a 32-plus-year love affair with the city," Ripa said.

Later in the month, the hosts will partner with Guinness World Records to try and improve upon records they already have.

"I don't like to brag, we recently broke the most amount of people en pointe shoes...we had real ballet dancers there," Ripa said.

While the excitement of the 'Live' team was infectious on set, producers still long to return to full normal with a live audience.

"Well, we really missed the audience," Executive Producer Michael Gelman said. "We have a plan to bring them back, but with the current conditions we're still kind of putting it off until we think that it's the right time."

"We try to be a departure from what may be anxiety-inducing, you know, it's like that do no harm," Ripa said.