Rosie O’Donnell boosts ‘The View’ to top premiere ratings since 2006

Love her or hate her, you have to admit that Rosie O’Donnell has a way with ratings for “The View.”

The sharp-tongued comic returned to ABC’s daytime chatfest for Monday’s season opener after an absence of seven years.

The result? An average of 3.9 million total viewers tuned in, according to Nielsen.

That was “The View’s” best season opener since 2006 - which, not coincidentally, was the last time O’Donnell took a chair as cohost on the morning show. She lasted all of one contentious, newsmaking season in that role.

Producers took the recent retirements of Barbara Walters and Joy Behar - along with the exits of Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy - as an opportunity to remake “The View,” which has been sagging in the ratings for awhile. Rosie Perez also joined the panel as a cohost, along with GOP political insider Nicolle Wallace.

Whoopi Goldberg is the sole holdover from last season’s show.

Critics were not blown away by the first episode, despite O’Donnell’s much-heralded return.

“Only time will tell how well the chemistry holds up and evolves among the central quartet, but despite all the changes (including a new showrunner), ‘The View’ hasn’t done much more than rearrange - and perhaps reupholster - the chairs,” the Boston Herald wrote.

What did you think of O’Donnell’s homecoming at “The View”?

Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT