Samantha Bee’s ‘Full Frontal’ Gets Kicked in the Rear by Warner Bros. Discovery.
The show, which has become a signature program for major cable network TBS, “will not be returning to the network in the fall,” according to a statement from representatives of the Bee.
“As we continue to shape our new programming strategy, we have made some difficult business-based decisions,” TBS said in a statement. “We are proud to have been the home of ‘Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,’ and thank Sam and the rest of the Emmy-nominated team for their groundbreaking work. We celebrate this extremely talented cast and crew and look forward to exploring new opportunities to work with them in the future.”
For seven seasons, Bee’s “Full Frontal” brought an aggressive and spicy voice to the late-night television arena and one of the few programs hosted from a female perspective. Bee grabbed attention with outrageous humor and monologues that pushed the usually genial cable network to embrace copious amounts of profanity and tackle political issues that are often polarizing. In 2018, the show became part of the news cycle when Bee used a charged epithet that refers to a part of the female anatomy to insult President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka. Advertisers have withdrawn commercial support for a while.
“We do a show to satisfy ourselves,” Bee told Variety in a 2016 interview. they get a few laughs, but they also get to vent their frustrations with contemporary politics and culture. When Bee watches TV, she says, “I like a firm hand to take me somewhere. I think that’s what we do with the show – we provide a firm hand. You might not like where it takes you, and that’s fine, too.” She hopes viewers will “walk away with the comedy first and the catharsis second.”
The end of her show will come as television continues to scale back its late-night antics. WarnerMedia decided to end its long-running Conan late-night program on TBS with Conan O’Brien last June. NBC and late-night host Lily Singh, a digital entertainment influencer who launched a new show on the network in the wee hours of the morning, decided to part ways last year. Comedy Central, which once boasted three different late-night shows, now has just one, “The Daily Show,” on a regular weeknight basis. Showtime’s “Desus & Mero,” a weekly comedy showcase, is not returning to Showtime thanks to host disputes. And CBS is considering cheaper alternatives to replace James Corden when he leaves “The Late Late Show” in early 2023.
The end of “Full Frontal” comes when Warner Bros. Discovery has cut its content spend on major cable networks like TBS and TNT. Of course, outlets continue to show movies and have added more sports nights, thanks to a recent rights deal struck between Warner Bros. Discovery and NHL. But TBS has been cutting back on scripted series, with shows like “Chad” and “The Last OG” axed in recent weeks. Brett Weitz, general manager of TBS, TNT and TruTV, left the company in May after the cable networks were consolidated under the auspices of the Warner Bros. executive. Discovery Kathleen Finch. Weitz was a strong proponent of “Full Frontal.”
“Full Frontal” heralds a new parade of weekly late-night comedy shows that target smaller niches rather than wider audiences. After Bee’s program gained traction, BET tried a similar showcase for Robin Thede — produced by the same company behind Bee. Comedy Central is trying a weekly program hosted by Charlamagne Tha God.
The Bee often surprises viewers by traveling to far-flung locations, interviewing interesting analysts and giving time to new voices such as Amy Hogarth, Mike Reubens and Ashley Nicole Black. One of her funniest segments centers on her trying to get a costume of NRA mascot Eddie Orella — and finding it more difficult than buying firearms. “Full Frontal” was recently nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Short Form Documentary or Reality Series category.
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