'Arsenio Hall Show' Officially Canceled

Not all comebacks work out.

Despite the show being renewed for a second season back in February, CBS Television Distribution has officially canceled The Arsenio Hall Show. The syndicated late night talk show kicked things off promisingly enough in February, with Jay Leno making his first post-Tonight Show appearance on the talk show to announce the show's renewal. But ratings quickly plummeted after the relatively promising launch, which averaged 1.9 million viewers and a 1.0 in the key adults 18-49 demographic. The show recently finished with a 0.7 rating in households and a 0.3 in the 18-49 demo, having been plagued by countless station downgrades.

"While there are many loyal fans of the show, the series did not grow its audience enough to continue," said a CBS Television Distribution spokesperson. "Arsenio is a tremendous talent and we’d like to thank him for all the hard work and energy he put into the show. We’d also like to thank Tribune and all our station group partners for their support of the show."

This has to be a huge disappointment for Hall, who seemed on the verge of a major resurgence, at least at the level of his massively popular original late night talk show, which launched in 1989 and lasted until 1994.

"When I started this adventure with CTD and Tribune, we all knew it would be a challenge – I’m gratified for the year we’ve had and proud of the show we created," Hall himself said, in a statement. "I’d like to thank everyone on my staff for rallying around me and striving to make the best show possible every night."

No word on what Hall's next move is, but I'd be surprised if this was the last we've heard of him.

Via: Deadline

Credit: CBS Television Distribution