In her twenty-five-plus years as a TV news correspondent and anchor, Natalie Morales has covered everything from presidential elections to school shootings to treacherous hurricanes to Olympics scandals to the death of the Pope. Her big scoop today? Those hard-news stories aside, she loves showing off her saucy side as the moderator for The Talk.

"It's true what they say — it goes by so fast when you're having fun," she says. "This is the best show I've ever worked on. It's such a blast."

On October 9, Morales will kick off her third season on the Emmy-winning CBS daytime chat show (which began in 2010 as a fizzier alternative to ABC's The View). Thanks to a new executive producer — Rob Crabbe, former EP of The Late Late Show with James Corden — she boasts that the L.A.-based The Talk is more loose-lipped than ever. "Rob really wants to see our chemistry and for our personal stories to be at the forefront," she says of her cohosts Jerry O'Connell, Amanda Kloots, Akbar Gbajabiamila and Sheryl Underwood. "We each bring such great and different backgrounds to the table, so he's really planning on tapping into all of that and letting us do our thing."

But Morales, who is the daughter of a Brazilian mother and a Puerto Rican father — and speaks three languages — still has a jones for old-school journalism. Not only did she fill in this summer as a coanchor and contributor on CBS Mornings, she's a new correspondent for 48 Hours and reveals she's been conducting interviews for a top-secret true-crime story. "I do love really detailed storytelling and allowing people to feel the characters I'm reporting on," she says.

As such, the self-described "consummate consumer of television" forgoes sudsy reality shows in favor of more substantive and buzzy narratives. "I'm obsessed with the latest thing that I should be watching," she says. "I'm always asking my girlfriend, 'What now?' I think that's part of the job of being a journalist. You have to have that curiosity." Morales talks about her seven favorite shows for TelevisionAcademy.com.

• Little House on the Prairie (NBC, 1974–83)
  We lived in Brazil when it was on the air because my dad was in the Air Force and serving there. So, we would get Betamax tapes from the States and then my friends and I, who went to the American School [known as the Escola Americana], would have slumber parties and catch up on all the episodes. We braided each other's hair to look like Melissa Gilbert and wore long prairie dresses. We did not like Nellie [AlisonArngrim] and loved Michael Landon. It was such a beautiful, sweet story that spoke to family values and loving and honoring one another. Living overseas, I loved that we were able to tap into this little bit of America.

• 48 Hours (CBS, 1988–)
  It is the originator of true crime. I think people forget that. Who came first? 48 Hours came first. And I think what's really powerful about its storytelling is that it really engages the audience. I love that it shows the process from the moment that detectives arrive on the scene. Then you see all the steps until hopefully there is some justice. Everybody at home gets to do a deep dive into how to solve a crime and understand the criminal justice system. There's also great attention to the survivors and the victims' families. That's also key — this is not entertainment; it's important journalism.

• Sex and the City (HBO, 1998–2004)
  I was making my way in New York City when it was on the air. Of course, the fabulous Sex and the City life was very different from my own life as a struggling journalist trying to make ends meet. I could never dream of an apartment or a wardrobe like the one Sarah Jessica Parker had as Carrie Bradshaw. But at the same time, I was seeing strong female characters and real friendships. It really spoke to me because usually women who are very strong and successful don't really get along well with other strong and successful women. It was great to have that.

• The Sopranos (HBO, 1999–2007)
  How great was Sunday night on HBO? It was my favorite television lineup. At the time, I was working overnights at MSNBC and when it was quiet, we were like, "Okay, let's watch." For The Sopranos, I think we can debate the last episode forever, but the show was perfect. I was living in New Jersey and just going through the turnpike, it was like, "Woke up this morning ..." Even though the characters were in the mob and doing everything wrong that was humanly possible, they're still lovable. You rooted for them. And I loved the relationship between Tony [James Gandolfini] and Carmela [Edie Falco]. It was one of the best casts on TV!

• Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO, 2000–)
  Because when the craziest thing is happening around you, you can't help but think, "Oh my God, this is such a Curb Your Enthusiasm moment!" I think Larry David is brilliant. With Seinfeld and now Curb, he's created this curmudgeonly character that we all just love to hate. But we're laughing and crying and cringing at the same time because of the things that come out of his mouth. I find myself always talking to my husband and my kids about some of the situations. For example, "The Middler" — which is someone who must be seated in the middle of a dinner table because they're so social or else the dynamic doesn't work. I'm always the Middler at any social event! I knew exactly what he was talking about. I just didn't know there was a name for it.

• Ted Lasso (Apple TV+, 2020–23)
  I love Jason Sudeikis, and we're a big soccer household, so when I saw that it was on Apple, my husband and I started watching it and were like, "This is a great show!" Then everyone was catching on to it. This was in the middle of the pandemic, which is just when we needed that uplift. We needed to see Coach Ted [Sudeikis] and Coach Beard [Brendan Hunt] and Rebecca [Hannah Waddingham] and Keeley [Juno Temple] and Roy Kent [Brett Goldstein] support one another and be cheerleaders for each other. It's funny because it's not really about soccer; it's about connections. And these were characters we could all relate to.

• CBS Mornings (CBS, 2021–)
  Nothing goes better with a cup of coffee than Gayle [King], Tony [Dokoupil] and Nate [Burleson]. Having been at other newsrooms, I can see when there's a real genuine camaraderie. But I also think there's a depth and a calmness in the reporting. There's not a lot of time for giddy banter. It's more serious. It's more structured. It's very detailed. And these are some of the best journalists of our time. I'm very proud whenever I get a chance to contribute to it because, you know, CBS is the Tiffany Network. The name starts with what it puts out first thing in the morning.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.