Showtime Cancels Fan-Favorite Series After Two Seasons

Showtime has cancelled fan-favorite series Ziwe after just two seasons. The news comes as the network also picks up Mandy Patinkin's new series Seasoned for a six-episode order (via Variety). A satirical late-night talk show hosted and executive produced by comedian Ziwe Fumudoh, Ziwe initially premiered on May 9, 2021. Its most recent season concluded on December 25, 2022. The series ran for a total of 18 episodes.

As a series, Ziwe focused on discussing trending hot topics on race, politics, and various other cultural issues as well has had musical numbers, guest stars, and interview along with comedy sketches. Season 2's guest lineup included Drew Barrymore, Emily Ratajkowski, Blake Griffin, Mia Khalifa, and more.  The show's cancellation comes shy of a year after the cancellation of the network's other late-night talk show, Desus & Mero, on which Ziwe previously worked as a writer before getting her own show.

The cancellation of Ziwe is just the latest programming change for Showtime. Late last month, the network announced the cancellation of another fan-favorite series, The L-Word: Generation Q, after three seasons. The announcement also comes at a time when the network is seeing some major shifts as it was announced earlier this year that Showtime is being rebranded as Paramount+ With Showtime.

"Showtime has captivated audiences for decades with ambitious original series that defined premium content and fandom," Paramount CEO Bob Bakish wrote in a memo earlier this year. "Its name will always stand for critically acclaimed, groundbreaking entertainment and creative excellence. Now, with Showtime's content integrated into our flagship streaming service, and select Paramount+ originals joining the linear offering, Paramount+ will become the definitive Multiplatform brand in the streaming space — and the first of its kind to integrate streaming and linear content in this way."

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