A sad note from the political comedy-media sphere. TBS has cancelled Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, after a seven year run. Bee, an alum of the Daily Show, was a rarity in the world of late night television talk and comedy shows — a woman. The Amber Ruffin Show — streaming on Peacock- will soon be the only woman-hosted late night talk show left on the digitized airwaves. Bee’s weekly series was not without accolades, having been nominated for four years straight in the main late-night Emmy category. As for her ratings, Full Frontal was ranking slightly ahead of The Daily Show and notable news-oriented/talk programs, such as Anderson Cooper 360 and All in with Chris Hayes.
Full Frontal Ratings
Full Frontal appears to be the latest consolidation causality of the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger, as the so-called TNets — TBS, TNT and TruTV — having been cancelling their “scripted,” original series in a mass streamlining move.
Far more than just providing gender diversity per se, Samantha Bee is a very distinctive voice in the left-leaning comedy world of the Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Last Week Tonight, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Myers, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Samantha brings a decidedly feminist perspective to the issues of the day and she pulled no punches in doing so. She never tried to hide her sense of exasperation and moral outrage over the twisted state of US and global gender politics and the endless double standards that enable mediocrities, like Brett Kavanaugh, to keep failing up while infinitely more qualified women are scrutinized for any possible flaw. Given a Supreme Court that has just set women’s rights back 50 years and a mobilized and well-funded conservative movement that views the Handmaids’ Tale as its Utopian ideal, Bee’s voice of resistance is needed more than ever. Hopefully, she can soon find another platform for her show and viewpoint.
And in honor of Samantha Bee’s fighting the good fight for 7 years, a compilation of her best take-downs of the Orange guy.