Posted on 08/26/2016 4:49:44 AM PDT by Kaslin
Comedy Central frustrated racial bean counters across America when it abruptly canceled "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore" for the obvious reason: It "hasn't resonated." Its ratings were terrible, and nothing it aired went viral. It was a desperate stretch when one Wilmore staffer described their audience as "small, but (mighty)."
A lack of market demand on a for-profit network is apparently no excuse to cancel a show. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans leaped to the microphone to pound the affirmative-action hard line: Had Comedy Central's audience "ultimately rejected a black man talking boldly about race in late night television?" He complained, "The real measure of equality in Hollywood will be when non-white stars get the same resources and latitude as white hosts, being allowed to experiment with staff and being given several years to fail, to improve, to find their voice."
In other words, commercial television should be like public television? Ironically, even NPR has canceled its black-oriented talk shows -- more than once -- due to low interest. With both NPR and Comedy Central, you can't blame the crusty, old right-wingers. It's those hip, young left-wingers, too. They aren't watching, either. The only ones who are upset are the quotaphiles on the left. Wilmore couldn't hold Stephen Colbert's audience, just as Trevor Noah isn't keeping Jon Stewart's old audience.
Comedy Central was the one to hire the untested black hosts and reap the "diversity" publicity generated by the quota-centric announcement. Now, when it fires them, it's only natural to face accusations of racism. You reap what you sow.
Apparently, leftists can't muster the clicking courage of the channel's convictions at home when it comes to black-oriented talk shows. Or maybe the public senses there's just not a serious appetite for satire when the left refuses to find anything to ridicule in the careers of Barack Obama or the Clintons. Satirizing Donald Trump might have seemed fresh and fun a year ago, but that shtick has turned seriously stale.
What's truly laughable is the proposition that America will diminish by the loss of a leftist forum -- as if every other late-night host is a Republican. Sophia McClennen at Salon exemplified this idiocy, saying, "In an election cycle dominated by racial aggression, the mainstreaming of misogyny, and the denial of structural inequality, Wilmore and his team offered their audience one of the few spaces where these issues could be debated rationally and intelligently."
There is a true lack of diversity in late-night programming. No one is a conservative. What's worse, when liberal journalists write about the satirists, from Wilmore to Colbert to John Oliver to Samantha Bee, they refuse to describe any of them as a liberal. The public is to conclude that leftism is mainstream and conservatism is not welcomed.
Journalists can't even accurately describe their satire as harsh. Take New York Times TV critic Mike Hale. He says: "As hosts, Mr. Noah and Mr. Wilmore have been cerebral, restrained presences. Given the level of scrutiny they have received, restraint is an understandable choice."
Someone drug test this man. How is it "cerebral" to call Ted Cruz a "self-hating dildo?" Wilmore asked about Cruz: "What's inside him? Besides thousands of writhing cicadas crawling around in his ill-fitting skin suit?" And when Cruz fried bacon with a machine gun, he asked, "Do you know how small your d--- has to be to do something like that?"
Wilmore's idea of "satirizing" Bernie Sanders was to ask: "Millions of people come to hear you speak your sermons on mounts. Are you Jesus?" During the Flint water crisis, Wilmore's concept of "restraint" was to call for the death of Michigan's Republican governor, Rick Snyder, asking, "Which type of execution?"
Apparently, not even Comedy Central's audience found that amusing.
Russell Peters. ROFL every time....
Hmm I don't see his name in the article
Larry the race baiter is blinded by what he sees as racist white people and Trump. Thank goodness their bumping him. Not that the rest of their stable is any better.
I think the point is that Mr. Peters is a person of color who is funny, as opposed to the not-funny ones described in the article.
Look him up on You Tube. Be warned....
Wilmore just isn’t funny. If you believe everything coming out of Wilmore’s mouth, then yeah, Comedy Central is racist.
I’m always amazed at how heavily Samantha Bee is promoted. Definitely the most heavily advertised talk show I’ve ever seen. Possibly most promoted show ever; even “The Real O’Niels’” marketing has died down, but not Samantha Bee.
Comedy Central played to these people, now they can burn by them.
My question would be: Is Comedy Central Funny?
I dropped cable ages ago, but found even when I had it I barely enjoyed the channel ever since they and most of the entertainment media lost their minds over the 2000 election.
I guess comedy bits on “finding the last decent Republican” and expecting people to laugh when he calls Republicans “racists” just wasn’t drawing in as many viewers as he expected it would.
“Sophia McClennen at Salon exemplified this idiocy, saying, “In an election cycle dominated by racial aggression, the mainstreaming of misogyny, and the denial of structural inequality, Wilmore and his team offered their audience one of the few spaces where these issues could be debated rationally and intelligently.””
It’s true. Liberalism is definitely a mental disorder. 93% of all media is liberal and it is the 7% that is to blame.
Racist Dog-whistle.
I have cable, and I don’t watch Comedy Central, never have and never will.
Plus Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Milton Berle, Jack Burns, Gracie Allen,
Tax-chick wrote: " I think the point is that Mr. Peters is a person of color who is funny, as opposed to the not-funny ones described in the article...."
Back in the '80's
&
were both considered comedy
I watch Futurama reruns and older South Park episodes. Very funny
Nothing else seems funny on this channel and much offends me.
also Jonathan Winters, Tim Conway, Bob Newhart
Not to mention every single promo for Samantha Bee’s program on TBS is practically a Hillary campaign commercial.
Trump should sue for equal time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.