Netflix is still figuring out its way in the comedy talk show arena. The Internet network has opted not to continue with its two recent entries in the genre, The Break with Michelle Wolf and The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale.
Both shows were toplined by comedy personalities with successful track records, McHale as long-time host of The Soup on E! and Wolf as writer and contributor on Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
The Joel McHale Show debuted in February with a 13-episode season and one episode put out a week. That was followed by an order for six additional episodes. The streaming network tried a different release pattern for the extra episodes, which all premiered on July 15, similarly to Netflix’s scripted series.
The Break‘s 10-episode season debuted in May and aired over 10 weeks, with a finale on July 29.
While The Joel McHale Show had a relatively quiet run, The Break launched with a bang, The first trailer for Wolf’s show was released in April, immediately following Wolf’s polarizing and much talked-about hosting stint at the White House Correspondents Dinner. On the show, Wolf continued with her provocative political jabs that made headlines.
In the end, sources say neither show drew enough viewership to secure a renewal. The Break and The Joel McHale Show followed Netflix’s first foray into the comedy talk show genre, Chelsea, which ran for two seasons.
The network has Jerry Seinfeld’s popular Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, which it lured away from Crackle, and My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with late-night icon David Letterman. Coming up this fall are Patriot Act with The Daily Show‘s Hasan Minhaj, Norm Macdonald has a Show, and The Fix, a comedy panel show helmed by Jimmy Carr, Katherine Ryan and D.L. Hughley.
McHale will have a continuous presence on Netflix via his role on dark comedy seriesSanta Clarita Diet.
(Excerpt) Read more in: Deadline