Upcoming MSNBC 10 PM host Lawrence O’Donnell gets interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter.

Reporter Paul Bond asked O’Donnell about his show’s ratings expectations:

THR: Will your new show’s ratings beat Keith Olbermann‘s?

O’Donnell: We’ll do what we can. But we’re not trying to beat anyone at MSNBC. We’re going to continue, I hope, to beat CNN.

THR: What about Fox News?

O’Donnell: Fox is a higher mountain for us to climb. Greta has a big lead, and I think she can rest easy because she’ll probably hang onto it.

Given that the slot is currently occupied by a rerun of 8 PM’s “Countdown,” original programming in the hour will almost certainly boost the network’s ratings. O’Donnell is correct in noting, however, that overtaking Greta Van Susteren is an unlikely event, especially when you look at the massive lead she currently holds there.

At the moment, Van Susteren is often bringing in more viewers than the CNN and MSNBC competition combined.