Arsenio Hall’s second go-round as a late-night host couldn’t match his original successful run.
After announcing in February that Arsenio Hall’s syndicated late-night talk show would be coming back for a second season, CBS Television Distribution has reversed course, canceling The Arsenio Hall Show after one season.
“Unfortunately, The Arsenio Hall Show will not return for a second season; while there are many loyal fans of the show, the series did not grow its audience enough to continue,” said a spokesperson for CTD. “Arsenio is a tremendous talent and we’d like to thank him for all the hard work and energy he put into the show. We’d also like to thank Tribune and all our station group partners for their support of the show.”
The show, which was a joint venture between CTD and Tribune, initially debuted to strong numbers in September, defeating the national late-night talkers in its Sept. 9 premiere. Even as ratings began to decline, a second appeared likely, with that notion being punctuated by the February announcement of a second season.
The new version was essentially a revival, of Hall’s old talk show of the same name, which ran from 1989-1994.
“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. “I’d like to thank everyone on my staff for rallying around me and striving to make the best show possible every night."
