The axe continues to fall at Warner Bros. Discovery, with their new CEO canceling shows and renegotiating deals all throughout the megacorporation’s many holdings. Starting with canceling CNN’s recently-launched streaming service and ending development deals with cable giants TBS and TNT, Warners has landed another blow against TBS’ programming schedule by canceling late night talk show Full Frontal with Samantha Bee after seven seasons with the network.
Hosted by former Daily Show correspondent Bee, Full Frontal continued the blunt left-wing political commentary her audience had come to expect from her tenure under for Daily Show host Jon Stewart, who now hosts a weekly show of his own on Apple TV. At the time, Bee was the first and only woman to front a late talk show.
In 2017, the show won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special, but failed to gain traction with audience or critics. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, while Miss Bee’s audience was devoted, it had declined in recent years. This year it averaged 466,000 viewers, down 42% from the year before.
From a corporate parent that had just axed an expensive show that was taking too long to develop, Demimonde, produced by J.J. Abrams in an exclusive deal with Warner Bros, the word seems to have been passed down from on high: WB-D will not show patience with its content partners.
The star released a statement on Twitter thanking her fans for the show’s long, if not popular, run on the air:
“After 7 seasons, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee will not be returning to TBS this fall. We’re so thankful for our loyal audience, our amazing team, and that we got to annoy the right people every week—that there wasn’t wrestling or baseball or a very special episode of Big Bang.”
With Warner Bros. continuing to make cuts, it seems the only employee still safe at the studio is Superman. And with DC’s recent disappointing showing at Comic-Con, it remains to be seen how long his tenure will last at WB.
