Comedy Central has cancelled The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore after two seasons.
The cable net has opted not to renew the half-hour series for Season 3, with Thursday’s episode representing the last in the series before retiring to the cancellation graveyard.
Comedy Central president Kent Alterman claims the cancellation is a “business decision” as it failed to gain ratings traction with the cabler’s core demo of young adults and in key social media metrics, per Variety:
“We’ve been monitoring it closely as for a year and a half now and we haven’t seen the signs we need in ratings or in consumption on digital platforms. We’ve been been hoping it would grow.
“We hold Larry in the highest esteem, personally and professionally. He brought a strong voice and point of view to the late-night landscape. Unfortunately it hasn’t resonated with our audience.”
Wilmore expressed his disappointment with the decision in a statement:
“I’m really grateful to Comedy Central, Jon Stewart, and our fans to have had this opportunity. But I’m also saddened and surprised we won’t be covering this crazy election or ‘The Unblackening’ as we’ve coined it. And keeping it 100, I guess I hadn’t counted on ‘The Unblackening’ happening to my time slot as well.”
@Midnight will fill the 11:30PM slot soon to be vacated by Nightly Show, with the search on for a longer-term replacement.
RIP.
Mike Quinn says
Very disappointed in this poor decision by Comedy Central. Wilmore brought a strong voice to exposing hypocrisy on all sides.
citypsyche says
Unfortunately for Larry Wilmore and his entire talented staff/cast, I guess they were just too grown-up smart for the Comedy Central demographic. Sad, sad, sad.
John Eller says
A sorely needed perspective. Whatever fills the time slot will have no comparable redeeming value.
Alvin Upton says
This is a MISTAKE, Larry and company kept it And they deserve better. Guys please reconsider and bring this show back. At least let him run thru the election, where will we get the “Unblackening” news now ?
Cathy says
Let me add my voice to those of us who will be so disappointed to see the sharply intelligent comedy show that opened a window for all to see the humor of contemporary events as seen by the rest of us to be seen by white America. With a staff of colored writers. This was not a Good Times or Cosby with input & impetus momentum driven by a white bosses & writers oversee the way things ought to be done.how everything had to be done. The nightly show is not that it keeps it a hundred, as the show itself says. It’ll be sorely missed in this household. Bye bye honestly presented colored people & doorway to Insight about colored life in general. O mean, who cares if we like & feel honestly portrayed more in general teleplays. I learned of this yesterday as Gayle King mused wistfully that perhaps Larry Wilmore’s sign off to the POTUS included the 2 most companionable yet spiny prickly & discombobulating words whites so want to use as ftreely as us colored folks. Even as lotus evidenced no discomfort with the moniker, white America seems to’ve lost their shit over & it looks like have been holding a grudge over since the foreign correspondent’s awards dinner. It made the network end up end up putting an end up cancelling an awesome show that rather than inflame the public, could have led to opening of minds. Sad loss what a waste. Netflix, Hulu et cetera?
lic
DJ says
It’s a comedy channel and the guy was NOT FUNNY – or better put, only funny to a small select group.
Mike says
Amen! And extremely racist as well! Good riddance to his show and “One Sided” point of view!
Mike9657 says
The one sided racist attitude of Wilmore made the show unwatchable and truly UNFUNNY. The show sucked beyond all sucktitude.