‘The Nightly Show’ is signing off

By Frazier Moore

AP Television Writer

NEW YORK

Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” is ending.

The late-night humor and talk show, which premiered in January 2015, will conclude Thursday, the network announced Monday.

The program, which filled the slot vacated by Stephen Colbert, sought to explore current events and larger life issues as presided over by Wilmore, who previously had served as “senior black correspondent” on “The Daily Show.”

But audience acceptance of “The Nightly Show” never approached its “Daily Show” lead-in or during the regime of Jon Stewart.

Comedy Central president Kent Alterman praised Wilmore and his team for “crafting a platform for underrepresented voices.” He said the show had steadily improved, “but unfortunately it hasn’t resonated with the audience in a way that it would need to for us to continue.”

The 54-year-old Wilmore wrote for “In Living Color” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” He created “The Bernie Mac Show” and with Eddie Murphy co-created the animated series “The PJs.” He is a creator of the upcoming HBO comedy “Insecure,” which premieres in October.

With the end of “The Nightly Show,” which Stewart produced, Comedy Central’s internet-based game show, “(at)Midnight with Chris Hardwick,” will air a half-hour earlier. Its current midnight slot will be filled by repeats of other Comedy Central shows.

“I’m really grateful to Comedy Central, Jon Stewart, and our fans to have had this opportunity,” Wilmore said in a statement. “But I’m also saddened and surprised we won’t be covering this crazy election, or ‘The Unblackening,’ as we’ve coined it. ... I guess I hadn’t counted on ‘The Unblackening’ happening to my time slot as well.”

Though the end of “The Nightly Show” eliminates a rare black-hosted program from the mainstream airwaves, Alterman dismissed any suggestion that race played a role in the show’s ratings failure or that a minority host might not be considered in the future.

As for what will permanently follow “The Daily Show,” Alterman said the network would be in no hurry to launch a replacement.

“We’re just gonna begin development and see where we go,” he said.

And in response to past criticism aimed at Comedy Central, as with other networks that have largely stuck with men in hosting roles, Alterman said women, too, would be considered to headline the new show.