TBS is locking in its future with Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.
The Turner-owned cable network announced Thursday that it has renewed its late-night staple for an additional two seasons. That keeps the show on Kevin Reilly’s comedy-focused cabler through 2020. Bee’s deal with Turner, where she also serves as an exec producer on The Detour (starring husband/exec producer Jason Jones), runs through 2022.
The pickup comes as Bee remains one of two female late-night TV hosts (joining BET’s Robin Thede) and after she took home an Emmy for outstanding writing for Full Frontal‘s “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” special, a TCA Award, a WGA nomination, two PGA noms and four DGA noms. (The show has a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.) The new season begins Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 10:30 p.m. (The show’s current renewal cycle expires this month.)
Right now, Full Frontal correspondents are traveling the world on the “Apology Race,” a two-week tour to make amends for “deeply embarrassing” things President Trump has said. On Jan. 24, the show will announce which correspondent was the most repentant.
“We were fortunate to start our show in an election year, and I’m so grateful TBS has picked us up for two more seasons, which will see us through the 2018 midterms and bring us into the 2020 election season,” Bee said. “It’s promising to be a real shitshow, and I am counting on our viewers to coax me out of my panic bunker and get us through it.”
Bee is the latest late-night host to secure a long-term renewal as the nighttime landscape grows increasingly crowded, with networks investing in new series (Hulu’s I Love You, America, Comedy Central’s The President Show) in their collective bid to grab a slice of the space’s growing viewership as the Trump administration continues to provide unprecedented fodder for hosts.
TBS recently extended Conan — amid rumors of his show moving to a weekly format — through 2022. Comedy Central extended Trevor Noah and his Daily Show through 2022 as well. At NBC, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers are under deals to remain through 2021; CBS has Colbert and James Corden through 2020; ABC has Kimmel through 2019; and HBO has John Oliver through 2020.
“No one does political comedy like Full Frontal; a two-season pickup is an obvious decision,” said Thom Hinkle, executive vp original programming. “Sam and her team have been relentlessly incisive in their satire, and the awards recognition and their growing viewership reflect that. Along with new episodes, expect more specials and a lot more blazers.”
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