Late-night TV is undergoing a bit of a shake-up at the moment, with a variety of networks scrapping their late-night programs, some of which have been long-running mainstays.
The latest to get the ax is TBS's Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, a critical darling beloved by fans that featured the former Daily Show correspondent giving her acerbic and no-holds-barred takes on politics beginning with the 2016 election.
But despite how beloved the show is--including a boatload of Emmy nominations every year it has aired and a win in 2017--TBS has chosen to kill it anyway, citing "business-based decisions" as the network aims to focus on more sports programming.
And Bee, isn't having it. After the news dropped, she took to Twitter to drag TBS as only she can with a perfectly subtle bit of shade thrown in the network's direction.
\u201cAfter 7 seasons, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee will not be returning to TBS this fall. We\u2019re so thankful for our loyal audience, our amazing team, and that we got to annoy the right people every week\u2014that there wasn't wrestling or baseball or a very special episode of Big Bang.\u201d— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) 1658767025
Bee wrote:
"After 7 seasons, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee will not be returning to TBS this fall."
"We’re so thankful for our loyal audience, our amazing team, and that we got to annoy the right people every week—that there wasn't wrestling or baseball or a very special episode of Big Bang."
Bee's tweet is likely a reference to the network's habit of pre-empting her show for sporting events and its near-constant reruns of the ultra-popular but critically reviled sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Bee's show is but one casualty of the network's since the merger of its parent company Warner Media with Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery. The new company has canceled nearly all the network's scripted shows as well as late-night icon Conan O'Brien's long-running show on the network.
In announcing Full Frontal's cancellation TBS hailed the show, which was the first woman-led late-night satire show ever, as "groundbreaking." Their statement read:
“We are proud to have been the home to ‘Full Frontal With Samantha Bee’ and thank Sam, and the rest of the Emmy-nominated team for their groundbreaking work."
"We celebrate this extraordinarily talented cast and crew and look forward to exploring new opportunities to work with them in the future.”
It doesn't sound like the feeling is exactly mutual.
On Twitter, many loved Bee's shady response.
\u201cI am blinded by the shade.\u201d— Warren Leight (@Warren Leight) 1658781994
\u201cTremendous shade on the way out\u201d— Dade Hayes (@Dade Hayes) 1658769497
But most were just deeply sad the show will be no more, and applauded Bee for a job well done.
\u201c@FullFrontalSamB @jodotcom This is truly heartbreaking. Full Frontal made us laugh and kept us well-informed. Hoping you get picked up by another network. Thank you for the laughter and tears! \ud83d\ude25\u262e\ufe0f\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffd\ud83e\udd1e\ud83c\udffd\u201d— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) 1658767025
\u201c@FullFrontalSamB You were able to buck a certain host trend for 7 seasons.\n\nReally hope a smarter network picks the show up.\u201d— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) 1658767025
\u201c@FullFrontalSamB To be honest I\u2019m not a loyal viewer but even I know the importance of you being there. Not everyone can stand to watch the real news and deal with issues but getting smarter through comedy can soften the blow. It was a genuine service and I hope it continues somehow, Sam. \u270c\ud83c\udffe\u201d— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) 1658767025
\u201c@FullFrontalSamB Y\u2019all have some of the best writing out there. I\u2019m so thankful for your courage and comedy in such a dark time. I can\u2019t wait to see what all of you do next (AFTER you take the rest you need).\u201d— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) 1658767025
\u201c@FullFrontalSamB This is sad news indeed.\nYour wit & humor, expressed with the backup of your amazing team of writers, got me through the darkest hours of #TFG.\nBut beyond that personal note, we need the diverse voices you brought into the light.\nFollowing your stellar career where u land next!\ud83d\udc9c\u201d— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) 1658767025
\u201cSamantha Bee is one of the smartest political comedians out there...and she happens to be female. \nShe deserved a smarter network than TBS anyway. \nWhich network should pick up her show?\u201d— Pin Young \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udcfd\ud83c\udf99\ud83c\udfbb (@Pin Young \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udcfd\ud83c\udf99\ud83c\udfbb) 1658781404
\u201cI still use clips from Full Frontal to explain issues like how abortion was consciously chosen as a wedge issue to people.\n\nThe fact so many right-wing fabulists are QTing this in glee shows the show did its work well.\u201d— Megan Lynch (@Megan Lynch) 1658774121
Of course, there were also no shortage of Trump-obsessed right-wing trolls celebrating the cancellation of Bee's show. So she followed up to her tweet with a reply that seemed aimed directly at them and the former President they are so obsessed with.
\u201cTo our loyal fans - we love you, you\u2019re very special. Go home, and go home in peace.\u201d— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) 1658767025
A smack-talker to the very last. God bless her!
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram