Legendary late night talk show hosts are rare, and Netflix is trying to get a feel for the talk-show genre. Chelsea Handler had a talk show on the streaming giant for two seasons before it was shut down. More recently, Netflix introduced David Letterman's My Next Guest Needs No Introduction while also winning over Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee from Crackle. Still, Netflix is trying to understand the market for talk shows, and according to Deadline, they just canceled two series that were expected to help push the streaming service forward in the genre.
Netflix has pulled the plug on The Break with Michelle Wolf and The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale. Michelle Wolf made headlines earlier this year for roasting politicians at the White House Correspondents Dinner. She used the same crude humor on her talk show, which made a point to take aim at both conservatives and liberals. Joel McHale's talk show was not under as big of a spotlight as Wolf's, but neither show was able to draw in enough viewership for Netflix to bring them back for a second season. McHale will still be receiving a Netflix check though, for his involvement in their dark comedy series Santa Clarita Diet.