Comedy Central has made it official: It'll soon be the end of the line for Daniel Tosh's
irreverent comedy series Tosh.0.
The long-running show debuted in 2009 and was a major hit, with fans flocking to hear
Tosh, known for his sarcastic, black humor, ridicule the latest internet meme or fail
video.
"I've seen many idiots in the 18 years I've hosted Tosh.0, but this guy might be the dumbest."
In its first season, the show immediately shot to number one in its time slot in the
valuable marketing demo of men ages 18-24. Tosh soldiered on for another eleven seasons,
and there were plans for even more. Before the COVID-19 pandemic halted production, the
series received an unprecedented four-season renewal order.
Comedy Central's decision came hot on the heels of the less surprising decision to also
pull the plug on Drunk History. According to Slash Film, Tosh.0 will return to finish
its upcoming 12th season, which will push the series over the 300-episode mark, a sure
sign that the bingeable Internet-focused comedy show will live on in syndication for years
to come.
Many viewers are understandably suspicious of Comedy Central's about face on the show,
given its popularity and relatively small budget. Slash Film speculated it may have
something to do with Comedy Central's parent company, ViacomCBS, and its financial struggles
more than the show itself.
Tosh.0 appears to be a casualty of broader trends in the industry generally, and a concerted
restructuring over at ViacomCBS specifically. The decision to reverse course on an earlier
order certainly speaks to shifts that have only been accelerated by the industry-wide
production shutdown caused by the pandemic.
Comedy Central's ongoing commitment to Tosh as a creator also suggests that it isn't really
about him or his show.
"It's been said amongst Hollywood execs over at Comedy Central that you shouldn't show
a guy reciting prime numbers for three hours on television. But I'm unconventional."
At the time of the called-off four-season renewal, Comedy Central also inked a first-look
deal for Tosh that would include new scripted and unscripted series that could either feature
Tosh as a performer or take him behind the camera as an executive producer. News of Tosh.0's
cancellation was not accompanied by any suggestion that Comedy Central intends to kill the rest
of Tosh's deal, so we may still see new projects from him in the future. But if Tosh wants
to increase his chances on getting one picked up, all signs suggest he should be thinking
about animation.
Live-action comedy series like Tosh.0 and Drunk History don't neatly fit into the Comedy
Central lineup anymore, where the programming landscape is vastly different from what it
was a decade ago. Cable channels have struggled to retain their audiences in the era of peak
streaming TV, and Comedy Central is one of many networks that has had to find ways to
adapt.
Comedy Central's approach appears to be a move away from live-action comedy series and
toward adult animation. Aside from network stalwart The Daily Show, Awkwafina is Nora
from Queens will be the only live-action series left after Tosh.0 makes its final bow. Comedy
Central is also deep into development on reboots of '90s animated classics Beavis and Butthead
and Ren and Stimpy, not to mention a spin-off of MTV's Daria titled Jodie. The future at
Comedy Central certainly appears to be animated, given that the network earlier punted other
live-action shows such as South Side and The Other Two to HBO Max.
Tosh, at least, has kept his trademark sense of humor in the face of this grim verdict
against his show. In response to news of his cancellation, he said,
"I look forward to doing an animated reboot of my show on MTV in 25 years."
"AHHHHH! Are ya happy? Yeah, Hollywood seriously broke me."
Fans may not have to wait that long, though. Slash Film is reporting that a group of Tosh.0
executive producers are currently shopping the series to other distributors including
streaming platforms which would be a web redemption, if you will.
It's easier than ever for canned series to jump ship to new platforms thanks to the infinite
formatting and scheduling possibilities offered by streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu, and
Amazon Prime Video not to mention relative newcomers HBO Max, Peacock, and Disney+. While
we can't necessarily imagine Tosh.0 streaming alongside the live-action Mulan, any of the
other platforms would make a comfortable home.
Barring some unforeseen intervention, the final episodes of Tosh.0 are due to begin
airing on September 15.
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