Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
Q

Can Netflix crack late-night TV?

Pop culture writer Alison Herman joins us to discuss whether or not Netflix can succeed in the comedic talk show format.
CBC Radio ·
On August 17, 2018 it was announced that Netflix had cancelled Michelle Wolf's late-night comedy series The Break with Michelle Wolf. (Netflix)

When you want to watch comedy that's topical, with jokes that are rooted in the news, what do you turn to? The traditional answer is late-night cable.

Lately, Netflix has been trying to edge into that world. The streaming service confirmed this week that comedian Norm Macdonald is going to launch his new talk show in September — but the timing of that news was a little awkward.

The announcement for Macdonald's show came days after Netflix cancelled two other late-night style talk shows: The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale and The Break with Michelle Wolf.

Wolf's show premiered in May shortly after the comedian hosted the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Now that it's cancelled, questions are being raised about whether Netflix can really succeed in late-night television.

Alison Herman writes about pop culture for the website, The Ringer. She joins Tom Power live from Los Angeles to unpack this story.

Listen to the full segment near the top of this page.

— Produced by Vanessa Greco

Miss an episode of CBC q? Download our podcast here. 

More from this episode