Four NBC TV shows are being canceled as the network is making a major strategy shift.
NBCUniversal has opted to no longer produce first-run syndicated TV programming. This decision comes after it was previously announced that The Kelly Clarkson Show, the syndicated daytime talker that has run for seven seasons, is coming to an end.
What four NBC TV shows have been canceled?
As a result of this strategy shift, four first-run syndicated NBC TV shows have been canceled: Access Hollywood, Access Live, The Steve Wilkos Show, and Karamo.
“NBCUniversal is making changes to our first-run syndication division to better align with the programming preferences of local stations,” Frances Berwick, who is the chairman of Brave & Peacock unscripted for NBCUniversal, said in a statement. “The company will remain active in the distribution of our existing program library and other off-network titles, while winding down production of our first-run shows. These shows have provided audiences with great talk and entertainment content for many years and we’re very proud of the teams behind them.”
Per Deadline, The Steve Wilkos Show and Karamo have both completed production on their current seasons, while Access Hollywood and Access Live will “wind down at the end of the summer.”
The article continues, “New episodes of The Steve Wilkos Show and Karamo will continue to air through the summer. It is unclear whether Access Hollywood/Access Live would be kept as digital brands. The move is expected to result in layoffs, both in terms of crew of the sunsetted show and NBCU first-run executives.
“…Once a financial bonanza riding the wave of daytime mega hits such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, the first-run syndication business has been struggling for most of the past decade as linear viewership has been plummeting in the streaming era. Local stations, the buyers of syndicated product, have largely shunned first-run syndicated fare in favor of local news or would only take those programs in on a barter basis, declining to pay license fees.”
The very first episode of Access Hollywood aired in September 1996, meaning the show has been on for nearly 30 years. Karamo has been on since 2022, while The Steve Wilkos Show first aired in 2007. Access Live, also known as Access Hollywood Live and Access Daily, debuted in 2010.
