‘Arsenio Hall Show’ Canceled Even Though It Had Been Renewed In February

In a surprising turn of events, the Arsenio Hall Show has been canceled after its first season despite an earlier announcement in February that it would return.

CBS TV Distribution (CBSTVD) made the announcement late yesterday saying, in part, “while there are many loyal fans of the show, the series did not grow its audience enough to continue.” When it started, CBSTVD said the show was reaching a younger audience.

Aside from audience numbers, The Hollywood Reporter says station groups like Sinclair Broadcast Group, Tribune Co. and LIN Television all moved the show into less desirable time slots. The show started strong with good overall numbers and good numbers for the 18-to-49-year-old age group, the ratings dropped. It faced competition from The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Jimmy Kimmel Show, and Late Night with David Letterman.

“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 said in a statement.

We’re confident you’ll be seeing Arsenio back on the air soon.