Top 10 Talk Shows That Got Cancelled
#10: “The Wanda Sykes Show” (2009)
Top 10 Talk Shows That BOMBED So Hard They Got CANCELED
Some comedians are able to transition into other forms of media with ease, while others, sadly, aren’t so lucky. There’s no denying that Wanda Sykes is hilarious, and super-charismatic, but this doesn’t necessarily translate to the late-night talk show circuit. It’s strange, because Sykes’ often-raunchy and adult-oriented style of humor was the kind that could’ve been tailored to airing in the evening hours. Still, we think Sykes could potentially make another go for the talk show crowd sometime down the line. Unfortunately, however, “The Wanda Sykes Show” just wasn’t the right vehicle for her back in 2009 and only lasted 1 season.
#9: “Thicke of the Night” (1983-84)
“The Tonight Show” is a giant of late-night television, the sort of juggernaut that often made it difficult for competition to stand out. “Thicke of the Night” was one such attempt, a talk show hosted by Alan Thicke that arrived complete with a bitchin’ theme tune back in 1983. Famous faces who made appearances included some very talented comedians, such as Richard Belzer and Arsenio Hall. What’s more, Thicke proved himself to be a decently capable interviewer. The mixture of sketch comedy, musical performances and interviews didn’t appeal to critics of the time, however. “Thicke of the Night” was canceled before it ever really was able to find its creative feet.
#8: “The Martin Short Show” (1999-2000)
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Hey, who remembers the Martin Short character, Jiminy Glick, and his often-subversive talk show spoof, “Primetime Glick?” The impetus for that character can actually be traced back to one of Short’s failed talk show attempts, “The Martin Short Show,” back in 1999. Here, the end results were played much straighter, and as a result the show had difficulty standing out in the already competitive field of late night entertainment. Airing for only a single season, it underperformed in the ratings, and never succeeded in getting the attention of a wider audience. Short did debut the character of Glick on this show, however, so at least the experiment wasn’t a total loss!
#7: “The Pat Sajak Show” (1989-90)
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It’s one of the more infamous talk show bombs on this list, offering further proof that success in the entertainment industry isn’t a foregone conclusion. With one successful show already under his belt, “The Pat Sajak Show” was an attempt for the “Wheel of Fortune” host to venture away from the game show circuit, and into the wild and wooly world of late-night talk shows. Sajak actually abandoned his duties hosting “Wheel” during the day to try this out. It’s a move that would backfire once “The Pat Sajak Show” was canceled after less than three hundred episodes. This was due to low ratings, and the show’s inability to compete with both Johnny Carson and Arsenio Hall.
#6: “The Megan Mullally Show” (2006-07)
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Megan Mullally is funny, right? She should be able to carry a daytime talk show with ease; it seems like a no-brainer. Well, think again, because “The Megan Mullally Show'' came and went back in 2006 with what was definitely a whimper, not a bang. The show entered a syndicated debut, and featured Mullaly appearing as both herself and her most famous character, Karen Walker from “Will and Grace”. The show even featured someof her co-stars as guests, in order to try and connect with its audience in the early days. It didn’t take, however, and “The Megan Mullally Show '' suffered almost immediately with poor ratings. It was given the ax soon after, not even getting to finish its first season.
#5: “Busy Tonight” (2018-19)
The E! Network has seen its fair share of late-night talk show successes, such as the Chelsea Handler show, “Chelsea Lately.” Actress Busy Philipps received her shot in 2018, when her show, “Busy Tonight,” was given the green-light over at E!, but it wouldn’t last very long. This was despite the impressive list of guests “Busy Tonight” had on its docket, including Kim Kardashian, Julia Roberts, Olivia Munn and more. “Busy Tonight” ultimately didn’t last a year, although Philipps seemed keen to try and save the show by switching to a different network. That search proved unfruitful, but Philipps’ brand eventually found success on YouTube.
#4: “Bethenny” (2012-14)
“Bethenny” was an attempt for the former “Real Housewife” star Bethenny Frankel to make it as a daytime talk show host. The show was produced and co-created by Ellen DeGeneres, who had, by then, seen massive success with her own daytime talk show brand. The end results of “Bethenny” only produced about a hundred and seventy episodes, but produced decent ratings. It seemed obvious from the start that the show probably wasn’t destined to do “Ellen” level numbers. “Bethenny” ultimately wasn’t a breakout success, proving unable to earn a rabid enough following to earn it a second season.
#3: “The Chevy Chase Show” (1993)
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He’s Chevy Chase, and you’re not. Actually, maybe be thankful that you’re not Chevy Chase, because at least you don’t have this fiasco to your name. It was one of the most infamous television talk show disasters in history, having been pulled from the Fox Network after only four weeks - though it ran for an extra week following its cancellation. There was a huge vacuum after Johnny Carson departed “The Tonight Show,” with anyone and everyone apparently being given a shot at a talk show. Chevy was a noticeably poor host, and his studio audience ill-behaved to the point of existing as its own separate character. It was considered dumpster fire entertainment at its most cringe-worthy.
#2: “Kris” (2013)
The Kardashian Family are notable for having not one, but two different talk show failures to their resume. “Kocktails with Khloé” fell on its creative face back in 2016, while the Kardashian matriarch, Kris Jenner, had her own trial run falter in 2013. The show was simply called “Kris,” and ran for six weeks and ten episodes that summer, with hopes that a full season would be ordered. This…did not happen, and “Kris” was called on January 17th, 2014, after all of the numbers were crunched from Nielsen ratings and audience feedback.
#1: “The Jay Leno Show” (2009-10)
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Jay Leno’s departure from “The Tonight Show” in 2009 was sort of a mess, what with the brief tenure of Conan O’Brien at the helm, to “The Jay Leno Show” experiment that aired that same year. What’s even more confusing is the fact that “The Jay Leno Show” just felt like Leno’s own “Tonight Show” shtick, right down to incorporating long-running skits like “Jaywalking” into the mix. Even more insulting was NBC’s decision to move Leno into his old “Tonight Show” time slot, pushing back O’Brien to accommodate the change. Of course the tactic failed, O’Brien was out, and Jay Leno returned to “The Tonight Show” for another four years, until Jimmy Fallon arrived to take his place.
