'Live' co-hosts Kelly and Mark find their groove for first full season together

NEW YORK -- 'Live with Kelly and Mark' returns this week, the first full season helmed by the married couple, who say their relationship is stronger than ever after taking on the role of co-hosts.

After more than a quarter of a century of marriage and more than half a year as co-stars on 'Live,' Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have found their groove.

"The job has not impacted the marriage, but I think the marriage has impacted the job," Ripa said. "I like the sociological experiment of it all, a married couple working."

Every day, they work in front of a live audience made up of fans who stayed to watch Kelly and Mark's interview with Eyewitness News entertainment reporter Sandy Kenyon.

"There are times we have discussions that we would ordinarily have at home, but there's safety in saying it in front of an audience of people," Ripa said. "So, we're more willing to discuss things in front of all of the witnesses."

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Ahead lies the first full season of the show with Mark as co-host.

"The ratings have been great," 'Live' Executive Producer Michael Gelman said. "People have loved him. We've had great feedback, but now we're leaning into it even further. We've got all kinds of fun things going on this new season. He's going to really even take more control of our trivia game."

The trivia game plays to Consuelos' competitive nature.

"If I'm walking on the street next to somebody, we're racing, on the sidewalk," Consuelos said. "If I'm on the sidewalk, I'm racing someone. It's just the way I'm built. So, I said, well, what a better way to feed my competitive spirit?"

Speaking of competition, 'Live' begins the new season at number one.

"We're not just the number one show in daytime, we're the number one show at all times -- daytime, nighttime, all the time," Gelman said.