Lilly Singh’s NBC Late Night Show Canceled After Just Two Seasons
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NBC’s A Little Late with Lilly Singh has been canceled after just two seasons, according to Deadline.
The show, which airs at 1:30 am ET, is hosted by Lilly Singh — one of the only woman to helm a late night program.
Samantha Bee currently hosts her late night show Full Frontal once a week on TBS, while Amber Ruffin has her own show on NBC’s Peacock.
While the move strips diversity from an already overwhelmingly White and male scene, the show’s 1:30 a.m. start time undoubtedly did it no favors — providing Singh limited opportunities to entice new viewers. The pandemic may also be responsible for the show’s dwindling success — as it led to an extended hiatus between the first and second seasons.
“Two years ago, I embarked on the wild journey of late night TV. I knew this show was about more than me, and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity and support. Today, I write to you from a similar place of deep gratitude to share some news,” she said in a statement to Deadline. “I’m going to focus on the slate of projects my company Unicorn Island Productions is developing, and we’re saying goodbye to A Little Late with Lilly Singh. I have a desire to make longer form content telling underrepresented stories, which is difficult to execute on a nightly show.”
So it’s not all bad news for Singh, who made a deal with Universal Television Alternative Studio that will allow her to develop unscripted projects with their division Universal Studio Group.
Fans can also count on seeing her back on the screen soon, as she is set to star in a Netflix comedy series being developed alongside Kenya Barris.
“This is just the beginning; I can’t wait to share more with you but this is all I can tease for now. I’m beyond grateful for your support past, present and future,” Singh added. “And to the Late with Lilly crew, I’m so proud of the progress we made in diversifying late night. We’ve given 21 people their late night debut this season. That’s pretty incredible and it’s been a true honour.”
A Little Late with Lilly Singh launched in September 2019, as a replacement for Last Call with Carson Daly, and aired after The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
