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EXCLUSIVE: I hear Fox is canceling The Wanda Sykes Show 
after one season. The late-night talk show started off strong but tumbled in the ratings as the season went on and fell below the performance of predecessor MadTV in the Saturday 11 PM hour.
MadTV creators Fax Bahr and Adam Small. Coincidentally, Fox aired MadTV and Spike Feresten’s talk show in late-night on Saturday before canceling them last spring and launching The Wanda Sykes Show. But the two new sketch shows were not developed specifically for late night. Sources said Fox is also considering them for primetime, possibly on Fridays or Saturdays. UPDATE: I hear Fox has already passed on the Carvey/Feresten pilot.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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This one was expected. It was never a matter of “if” just a matter of “when”. I know they had a heck of a time booking guests. In the end it was mostly favors to friends of friends and begging that got them any significant names as guests. In the end, being unable to book very many A-list guests, and just generally being unfunny led to this show’s demise. Funny thing is, Sykes is hilarious in stand-up and scripted film roles. But talk television just isn’t her forte. Lesson learned.
I believe if she was on any other station viewers would sky high…
Most are definitely against Forge the News and refuse to stich to it.
This is the best retort that you can come up with???? It could very well be that she sucks and the show was not in any way entertaining, yes, I believe that is the fact.
Wanda Sykes is the funniest person out there to me. Maybe you are just in the wrong generation to ‘get’ her.. I thik she is hilarious.
you find wanda sykes below par while “git her done” is funny to you? you must really miss Hee Haw. glad you at least have glenn beck.
are you an idiot?
if “most” are against “forge the news” (you’re so clever and original. did you also just go pee pee in your diaper?) then why does fox news trounce the other cable news networks by double?
The reason is that FOX viewers significantly skew elderly, conservative, and rural, so get their news via television. MSNBC and CNN viewers skew progressive, younger, or independent and get their news via Internet. The 47% that voted against Obama have a station that manipulates and expolits their anger – FOX (the anti-Obama network). The 53% have multiple venues. Also the FANTASTIC ratings we are talking here still don’t amount to more than 1% of the entire US population!
We all know Family Guy, American Dad, and The Simpsons specifically cater to the elderly rural conservative demographic.
Fox News =/= Fox. Last I checked, Wanda Sykes was not on the same channel as O’Reilly and Hannity.
wow youre really stupid. as if the liberal media isnt slanted just as hard, and in many cases worse, than fox news.
If Fox caters to liberal, elderly conservatives, is that why they even bothered to program a black lesbian talk show host in the first place, because I know all those old conservative people are probably asleep by the time this show aired.
I love it when people try to use big words to make themselves sound important.
Uhhhh. DUH. FOX NEWS is NOT the same as FOX. Your entire comment is skewed. FOX NEWS followers don’t get news from the internet? ‘Rural’ areas get all news from FOX NEWS? WTF? Most “elderly whites” don’t limit themselves to one of anything, let alone but one source for news.
Sykes failed. Talk show venue not right for her. She sucked. She excels at stand-up.
excuse me? that is just not true.
Because Americans are generally idiots.
that goes without saying but the comment was made that wanda’s show being on fox is the reason that it wasnt successful which is idiotic. other shows that arent successful because theyre on fox? american idol and house
lol i think your right!
Fox News has strong ratings because it is the only outlet for ultra conservative, paranoid, conspiracy junkies. We liberals have all of those other channels from which to choose. If O’Reilly is getting say 300,000 viewers, that means that 329,700,000 people aren’t watching. So much for ratings.
because there are far, far more stupid people than smart people; there are far more people who do not read and get all their information from tv than those who actually read books, can construct a sentence and do not have to run from reporters for fear their answers will prove their stupidity. so fox news has high ratings? that’s like saying that the ridiculously stupid movies that make a lot of money [like jackass 3D] are far superior to independent films like audrey tatou in he loves me, loves me not] that are only seen in smaller theaters.
We’re talking about FOX, not FOX NEWS. I know liberals tend to think they’re smarter than others; it should include being able to actually read an article.
We are one of those families that will not use anything related to Rupert Murdoch/FOX.
Not in our house ! Sorry, Wanda.
I agree 100%. Wanda is funny at stand-up but not in Television. And definitely not as a host. Maybe they should let her develop her own show from her own imagination and creativity and see how that appeals to the audiences.
I believe that is a good idea!!
I guess FOX didn’t understand that George Bush jokes are soooo last century.
Wanda Sykes is one of the best comedians ever. You blew it. She will be back. By the time FOX pulls its head out of its ass and gets back to something other than being a ku klux television station, she will have retired rich and sane. I doubt the same will ever be said of the nazi newscasters which you so happily keep foisting on us. Flush Limburger and Kill Bill O’Riley cum to mind.
Are you crazy? This show was hilarious! I stayed up late on Saturday nights just to watch it .
I agree. In fact, I would like like all of the network channels to quit cancelling great shows after one season, especially when they do not have accurate audience feeback. Wanda…don’t change a thing!
It was painful to watch !!!!!! I didn’t even like thge good things she said asbout me !!!!
Sorry about the spelling, I didn’t have my dixionary handy.
She hopes someone’s kidney’s fail? Nice. I love karma.
So, I guess if that is the case of karma coming back on her (Wanda Sykes)…..then your boy Rush will really catch hell…after all he’s constantly insults the President, his family, and anyone who voted for the man….(yeah, you know the fat clown said it..)…uh-huh, karma is a….
puhleeeeez, there’s a BIG difference in insulting someone and wishing for them to die (as WS did with Rush, and the press, ‘protesters’ and lib movie makers did with GWB for 8 years).
Nice reasoned response to previous
I agree with Wanda. I hope his kidneys fail and yours too !
The President deserves to be insulted. He is a stealth socialist who keeps denying it, but keeps pushing nationalization of anything and everything.
Rush has never, to my knowledge, insulted Obama’s family. When Mrs. Obama has put herself into the public arena, and made political and policy statements, Rush has disagreed with her. There has never been anything like the personal stuff that you guys on the left ALWAYS throw at Rush. I get it. You don’t want to debate anyone on the right on POLICY, so you have to go to personal stuff. Just makes you look stupid, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
Oscar77
You don’t even know what socialist means. And yes Rush has consistently insulted Obama and his family.
Did you seriously want to talk “Policy” from the Right? After everything this country has endured you still have the audacity of even mentioning that word? Republicans would have lost to Wanda herself, solely based on policy.
Has education regressed THAT bad or is it just you?
I don’t know what world you’re living in– must be a parallel universe. As Al Franken noted, where are Rush’s fact checkers? Palin, Rush, Hannity, Bachmann et al. say anything they want whether it bear any resemblance to reality or not. Seem to have inherited it from Cheney/Bush or somewhere. At least Wanda Sykes is a comedian– if any of the aforementioned right-leaning spokespeople admitted to being primarily comedians they would deserve a little slack.
Really? You don’t think Rush calling PRESIDENT Obama a “halfican American” insulted his grandmother at the time he said it, or his children who are then “quarter-can American”?
Hey while Rush is making hundred’s and hundred’s of millions, living in Louis XIV royal like surroundings by expoliting your hate. bigotry, and anger – how are you faring in this economy?
Hey idiot, aka “oscar77″ Rush called Obama a “halfrican” on national TV and insulted his kids (innocent by association). How about you put yourself out there and let us insult you and your ugly INBRED family…see how all you like it.
Is there no discussion, no topic, no moment that you can’t turn into a bash-Obama moment.
Excuse me, but this article was about Wanda Sykes’ show, not right-wing agendas.
Personally, I love her standup, but found her interview show boring, at best.
How is requiring people to buy insurance “socializing medicine”? If only it were! It was a Republican idea put up against Clinton’s more truly government-run program. Conservatives have gone so far to the right that they can’t even recognize a pro-business policy any longer.
A liberal media? Please give me one. I’ll believe we have a liberal media when we see a “labor report” alongside the evening “business report.”
Wanda is very funny, but this wasn’t her best venue. Nothing political about it.
You obviously have never listened to Rush as he NEVER insults the pres. or relations. He expresses opinions based in truth re: Obama policies which he is still free to do in this country. Comments like yours are predictable and born out of ignorance. Stop drinking the kool aid and listen to Rush yourself not merely sound bites etc. and you could not honestly make such an assessment.
You suggest people stop drinking the “kool aid” to believe Rush’s opinions are based in truth. Talk about ignorant. It’s uneducated people like you that Rush appeals to because he does your thinking for you.
Sammy, you must be MAINLINING the Kool-Aid if you think Rush “expresses opinions based in truth”
Here’s a link to an audio of your hero in his own voice admitting he carries water for the Republican Party:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200611090005
Here’s an excerpt: (this was the day after the 2006 election)
[[But the way I feel is this: I feel liberated, and I'm just going to tell you as plainly as I can why. I no longer am going to have to carry the water for people who I don't think deserve having their water carried. Now, you might say, "Well, why have you been doing it?" ]]
Listen to the entire audio and learn what a fraud your boy Rush is.
it was a joke at the white house correspondents dinner. you do know what a joke is right? that event is full of them.
Sure, I know a joke President when I see one.
By the way, I hope your kidney’s fail! Man… that’s HILARIOUS!!! You do know what a joke is? The Obama administration is full of them.
Nice try Sparky. If Karma got involves Boss Limbaugh’s kidney’s wouldn’t fail, they would have exploded long ago for the dirty deeds and divicivness he gleefully causes among Americans.
cancelling her show is not karma; she was making a point with the “kidneys fail” joke that neither you nor limbaugh probably got. so don’t think that limbaugh is beyond [lee atwater] karma since limbaugh is the one who started this “hoping that someone fails.”
File this under No Shit
I like Wanda Sykes, but the several times I watched really turned me off; too much political talk and not enough late nite humor. Hey Wanda, cut the political opinions and get back to entertaining and being funny.
so, it was political humor that got the best of wanda sykes? then, why not tell david letterman to get away from political humor too? this way, perhaps he can stop making fun of how poor many obama voters were especially since he makes quadruuple millions. black people driving ragged cars with obama stickers is funny to david letterman because letterman happens is a rich pervert.
Sykes went out of her way to alienate a lot of potential viewers, by some fairly gratuitous (and worse, unfunny) shots at conservatives and Republicans. News flash: her ratings depended on being funny and amusing to a bunch of middle of the road folks at home on Saturday night, not the hip and young crowd.
Sykes *IS* funny at times, but confused what people in Hollywood want with what the audience wants. That along with uber-PC doses, and being a Black Lesbian Millionaire (three alien and alienating identities removing her from understanding her audience), led her to a tin ear for comedy.
SNL is old and unfunny. Sykes had a perfect pickup opportunity: do funny bits, post them on YouTube, draw viewers. But she forgot her audience was not a West Hollywood crowd, more like Des Moines.
Look at Leno. The guy USED to a have at least a sense of what jokes would bomb. Now even with constant standup gigs in Vegas he has no clue as to what makes his audience laugh. Social distance kills jokes in comedy.
love your comments re: hollywood vs. reality.
it’s a shame.
i agree with you and it’s so sad to see truly funny people get that “tin ear.”
e
Hmm, not too sure if an entertainer being black is alienating to audiences as you suggest. Don’t have much evidence to back my theory up though. Other than The Cosby Show being #1 show on TV for a decade, Will Smith being the most bankable movie star in the world, and Oprah Winfrey being the #1 talk show host on TV. Other than that, though, I’m just guessing.
The people you named aren’t exactly the most subversive black people on the scene — they give white folks a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.
Winfrey isn’t glamorous, so it’s safe to beam her into the inner sanctums of Middle American housewives. Cosby spends his time criticizing black people for deviant behavior — endemic only to them, of course. Smith has gone on record referring to himself as “the most non-threatening black man in America”.
Paragons of aggressive thought? I think not.
Everyone commenting on this site looks to me like a lot of Fox News lovers. Wanda is so funny and doesn’t need this lousy show. To you rightwingers who don’t like her, SNL, Daily Show, Colbert, Bill Maher etc, go back and watch your own favorite clown, Glen Beck.
You don’t have the specific kind of humor to enjoy Sykes or any of the other really funny people mentioned above. Too bad you think her humor is “West Hollywood”, I was born and raised in Dallas, and still live there. Still a lot of us out here who have a really good sense of humor but not silly or stupid. We are grownups.
No wonder you like her. You sound like her. Tired old political hatred is neither funny nor entertaining.
Republicans have a monopoly on tired old political hatred. Wanda’s show was a breath of fresh air.
No one who likes this unfunny ugly waste of air can be considered “grown up”.
“Son of Beck” … Born of an a-hole literally and figuratively. Wow!
I new somewhere down this list of comments, I would read a post from a dysfunctional white lady that has no idea of reality. I think of you not as an illegal alien….but aliens from another planet wanting to take us all down like in the show V. Go sleep with a transvestite.
Sandy: “You don’t have the specific kind of humor to enjoy Sykes”. You are so right! I, nor my mind, are in the gutter.
Yes, but if it was a “lousy” show, that was HER fault, wasn’t it?
You are so correct Sandy Whatevah!!!
When is whitey gonna learn they have a moral duty to laugh at unfunny African-Americans.
Because of slavery, and uh– shit like that.
Reparations? Hell yeah. PLUS… Laffarations!!!
To: DAVID JACK SMITH “…slavery or some siht like that…” — just sitting here wondering about your shoe size ’cause you surely are angry…….
The show was not worth returning back to. Some drag queen to whoop up the audience, that horrible sidekick guy and she was trying too hard to be like Bill Maher. I’ve liked her since Chris Rock’s show,but this was a horrible overall set up.
I must agree about the horrible side kick keith robinson he got on my nerves how he ever got on there i will never know but the drag queen I know her and she is good and funny, all around i liked the show but something could have been done different!
when was she ever funny?
How on earth does Wanda’s skin tone, sexuality or bank balance reduce her ability to understand her audience? She’s black, so she doesn’t understand white people? She’s lesbian (though formerly married to a man) so she doesn’t understand straight people? She’s rich (but hasn’t always been rich) so she doesn’t understand the middle class?
I’m a white, straight, non-millionaire and I get her; I think she’s incredibly funny, so must infer she gets me.
If anything, I’d say it’s a certain demographic’s inability to relate to her, a so-called Black Lesbian Millionaire, that’s at issue here. Not every television personality must conform to expectations in Des Moines. It might keep her show on the air, who knows, but if I were Wanda I’d much rather stay true to myself and my audience than pander to people who can’t deal with the labels they put on me.
Her show can’t draw an acceptable amount of revenue. It doesn’t matter why. If you can’t sell advertising, shows are usually canceled. Her ratings were in the toilet.
I don’t disagree, FlyDiesel. My problem was the earlier inference that Wanda got so caught up in her “alienating” lesbian black richness that she developed a comedic tin ear and can no longer relate to her audience. Which is bigoted bullshit. She relates to her audience just fine — but, as you note, that audience seems not to be large enough to sustain her show.
this is the most intelligent and logical view expressed on this topic. thank you.
I can’t see FOX giving the time back to the affiliates – what will they do next?
In other words she wasn’t conservative enough? Then why isn’t “Red Eye” on Fox a ratings bonanza, and why did Joel Surnow’s “Half Hour News Hour” tank?
Red Eye isn’t a ratings bonanza because of its time slot. It does perform well for a show on as late as it does. And I believe that Red Eye is a good and funny show. Just because it is on Fox doesn’t make it an uber-conservative show… I’m pretty moderate, and I don’t ever feel that the show is overly conservative. It just mocks liberals. Gutfeld is a libertarian and (most importantly) is funny and books funny people.
Half Hour News Hour and several other conservative-minded shows tanked because conservatives are too stupid to support programs aimed at them. Every time a religious or conservative movie is released, it tanks. Then they whine about film being “too liberal”.
True. And very perseptive.
Oh… Except for ‘The Passion of the Christ.’
So almost true. Except for ‘The Blind Side.’
Then there’s ‘Team America: World Police.’
Oh, let’s not forget ‘Juno.’ ‘Iron Man’ (1, of course)
I could just mention most of Mel Gibson’s movies. Many of Clint Eastwood.
In fact, now that I think about it, just about the only movies that really make a profit, ususally espouse conservatism in one form of ‘tother
I guess youi gave the superficial “What Have The Romans Ever Done For Us…” response.
Oh.. and Gutfeld isn’t a libertarian, he’s a conservative. Andy is the libertarian. And Bill is the raving lefty — but we love him anyway.
But apart from that, you’re not too stupid. No, not at all.
Err, because it’s on at 3AM — that’s 3 in the morning, in case you wondered what the AM stands for.
But even so, the funniest news spoofing show on TV still gets a bigger audience than some CNN shows in prime time.
What a pity. She was totally in-my-face.
Remind me not to look at your face on America’s Most Wanted.
It was never funny! Ever! Long live Chelsea Handler!
I am going to miss that beautiful voice.
Wanda Sykes had a show?
Who wants to listen to an angry homosexual woman who hates white folks?
next time you start talking, ask yourself who wants to listen to an angry white guy who thinks everybody hates him.
Follow your own advice idiot. Smarg is totally on the mark. You are a chicken for not even putting in a name. Libtard coward.
Said “Jug”
Why bring Keith Olbermann into this?
Oh hell, why not! And you’re right. Judging by his ratings, no one wants to listen to Olbermann or MSNBC.
Her wife is white, idiot.
Now THAT is funny.
Hey idiot, how many wives does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Two.
One to stand there helplessly, while the other pretends to be the husband and actually screws in the bulb.
This show was doomed by too little of Sykes’ unrestrained standup and too much of her loyalty to the worthless and annoying sidekicks Keith Robinson and Portia. Even when the producers finally realized this and reduced their roles significantly, there wasn’t enough format change to prevent their bogging down the show. Too bad, cuz love Wanda and was pulling for her!
You know..I do a lot of ‘middle of the road’ Dem political activism and Irealyy liked her as well. Sigh, guess it’s back to live music,and DVD’s on Saturdays..
No one wants to watch her. Her appearance at the White House Correspondence Dinner a year ago was hateful and nasty and not in a funny way and she continued on her show. Not even Washington, D.C. want to watch her.
Sorry to see you go Wanda, you were very funny!! For the idiots that think it is not alright to make fun of conservatives, stop hanging teabegs from your head then maybe liberals might take you seriously. Don’t get me talking about the race hating drugster.
Yes, bring back Spike!
I guess Wanda slammed Fox News one too many times.
Yes, Fox is super uptight about Fox shows going after Fox News. Family Guy is going to get cancelled at any moment.
The ratings stunk. That’s the only reason it got cancelled. We can debate whether she is funny or too liberal or whatever until we are blue in the face. But she couldn’t draw an audience and had to go. It’s the nature of television.
This has been a GREAT week! First Sarah Silvermans canceled and now this!!! These two are unfunny, shrill, hacks I mean, it’s obvious Wanda Sykes is getting canceled — throw it onto the pile of the 1000X other shows she’s been on that have gotten the boot.
She was too busy being a lesbian.
My name says it all.
now thats funny
I worked on Madtv for 14 years. Towards the end, Todd Yasui took over late night for Fox. More than once, I was told writers and producers on Madtv took pitch meetings with Todd for new shows, and he would tell them he wanted to get Madtv off the air. Problem was, he was also giving creative and network notes to Madtv, and he was shaping the show. He especially shaped the show’s horrible “new” approach in season 13. Seemed like a conflict of interest at the time to give notes AND tell people he wanted to kill the show.
Not sure in what capacity you worked on MADTV, but that show was never funny. Never watched Wanda, so can’t compare, but MADTV made SNL look high brow.
Comedy on TV tends to blow these days, but MADTV was not the answer. Just a bunch of desperate LA comedians willing to write and perform any piece of crap that was approved for air.
But don’t worry. Sounds like the creators of that forgettable show are being rewarded with yet another Fox show. Is no one in Hollywood funny?
Yeah, I think the late night heads at Fox should roll for this one.
LAME! I see he was later an executive producer on the Spike show… so, he got MAD TV kicked off for a show he executive produced? SHADY
Mad TV was a great show.
It never got the respect it deserved IMHO.
Many of the sketches were funnier than SNL.
Thank you Baby Jesus.