Netflix Unceremoniously Cancels ‘The Break With Michelle Wolf’ And ‘The Joel McHale Show’
Netflix has cut down their roster of talk shows after being on the streaming service for only a matter of months. BothThe Break with Michelle WolfandThe Joel McHale with Joel McHalehave been canceled, but it’s the way Netflix handled the axing of the former series that is rather disconcerting.
The Break with Michelle Wolf Canceled
News ofThe Break with Michelle Wolfcanceled came as a surprise to both fansandthe show’s entire staff.The Daily Beastspoke to an unnamed source connected to the show who told them, “None of us can believe how classlessly Netflix has handled this.” How classlessly did Netflix handle this? Apparently the staff, including the showrunners, found out the show was canceled when the news hit Twitter. That’s a hell of a way to be fired and bad form for Netflix.
The cancellation ofThe Break with Michelle Wolfis quite a surprise since the show only debuted in May, and it had quite a bit of buzz leading up to the premiere since the titular comedian made quite the splash at this year’s White House Correspondents' Dinner. Of course, since Netflix doesn’t release any of their data on ratings and viewership, it’s hard to say how successful the series has been.
The real bummer of this decision is that it cuts down the already bare landscape of female led talk shows across television and streaming services. Netflix had already previously canceled Chelsea Handler’s talk show, and now only Samantha Bee remains at TBS withFull Frontaland Sarah Silverman withI Love You, Americaat Hulu.
The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale
The cancellation ofThe Joel McHale Showmeans that Netflix now only has two ongoing talk shows on their streaming service.Comedians with Cars Getting Coffeefrom Jerry Seinfeld still has new episodes on the way and David Letterman’s monthly talk seriesMy Next Guest Needs No Introductionseems to be a fan favorite. But they won’t be the only ongoing talk shows on Netflix for long.
Netflix hasPatriot Actwith Hasan Minhaj coming at the end of October, plus Norm Macdonald is getting his own show, and there’s a comedy panel program calledThe Fixon the way featuring Jimmy Carr, Katherine Ryan and D.L. Hughley. It’s nice that there’s some diversity among those comedy names, but if Netflix only gives them a few months to prove their worth before pulling the plug, then that doesn’t seem worth praise.
Stay tuned to see what else Netflix cancels and what other shows they announce to replace them.
