Comedy Central will not bring Lights Out With David Spade back to the network.
The late-night show featuring Spade and a revolving panel of guests discussing pop culture news stopped production March 12, joining hundreds of other shows in shutting down due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Unlike most of its late-night counterparts, however, it has not resumed production yet. Spade has been producing short pieces for the network's digital and social outlets.
Despite the show's ending on Comedy Central, the ViacomCBS cable network will try to shop Lights Out to other outlets. The show is produced by Comedy Central Productions, and executives there remain positive about the show's creative aspects. Spade will continue producing his digital shows for the next few weeks and work with Comedy Central Productions toward finding a new home for the show.
The audience for Lights Out has not been soft since its debut in July 2019. The show typically drew less than half the audience of its Daily Show lead-in. The show's digital and social properties also didn't rack up the same numbers as many other late-night shows (although Spade himself has a large following).
Comedy Central has had difficulty filling the post-Daily Show spot since Stephen Colbert ended The Colbert Report prior to his departure for CBS. News-oriented programs like Larry Wilmore's Nightly Show and The Opposition With Jordan Klepper lasted less than a year each before the debut of Lights Out.
Comedy Central had hoped a show with a lighter tone would entice audiences back to the 11:30 spot as a "palate cleanser" before viewers went to sleep.
