‘Ziwe’ Canceled After Two Seasons at Showtime
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Ziwe Fumudoh’s list of iconic guests has run short. The comedian’s Showtime talk show “Ziwe” has been canceled at the premium cable network after two seasons, IndieWire has confirmed.
In addition, the channel has given a six-episode season order to “Seasoned,” a new comedy show starring real-life married couple Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody; co-created and co-written by their son Gideon Grody-Patinkin and Ewen Wright, the show is directly inspired by the pair’s real-life relationship. The channel also passed on the pilot for “The Wood,” a comedy series based on the 1999 film from Rick Famuyiwa. Finally, Showtime acquired “Heist 88,” a crime thriller film starring Courtney B. Vance, and will premiere it as an original after it was originally scheduled to premiere on Paramount+.
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The news of “Ziwe’s” end comes four months after the series, which sees Fumudoh interview notable figures and celebrities via her signature disarmingly blunt style, wrapped its second season on Christmas Day. The 12-episode second season was divided into two parts, with Part 1 premiering in May 2022 and Part 2 airing that November. The show debuted with a six-episode first season in May 2021.
The cancellation of “Ziwe” means that Showtime — which is currently prepping for a rebranding as “Paramount+ with Showtime” — no longer airs any late-night talk show programs. From 2019 to 2022, one of the channel’s most acclaimed series was the talk show “Desus & Mero,” which Fumudoh worked on as a writer. That show ended in June of last year.
“Ziwe” was ordered after Fumudoh rose to prominence during the pandemic through a series of Instagram Lives where she interviewed celebrities like Caroline Calloway, Alison Roman, Alyssa Milano, and Rose McGowan, often asking direct questions about race and hot-button issues. Her talk show similarly featured major guests — including Charlamagne Tha God, Chet Hanks, Emily Ratajkowski, Ilana Glazer, Hannibal Buress, Nicole Byer, Mia Khalifa, Adam Pally, and Deux Moi — and led to several viral moments.
The show is one of many series to get canned at Showtime as the rebranding looms; the last show to get renewed was “Yellowjackets,” which received an early Season 3 pickup in December. “Let the Right One In,” “American Gigolo,” and “The L Word: Generation Q” have all been canceled, and completed shows like “Three Women,” “Ripley,” and “King Shaka” have been dropped or sold to other networks and streamers.
Fumudoh executive produced her show with Jamund Washington, Hunter Speese, and Jo Firestone. A24 produced the series for Showtime.
Deadline was the first to report the news of Showtime’s recent programming changes.
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