What To Know
- Access Hollywood has been canceled after 30 years on air.
- Its final episodes are set alongside other NBCUniversal syndicated shows.
- NBCUniversal is winding down production of its first-run syndicated programs.
It’s the end of an era as Access Hollywood has been canceled after 30 years of providing entertainment news and behind-the-scenes scoops on the entertainment industry.
The Hollywood Reporter dropped the stunning news that the long-lived show will end, along with other syndicated shows on NBCUniversal’s slate, including Access Live, Karamo, and The Steve Wilkos Show.
In a statement, NBCUniversal’s unscripted chair for Bravo and Peacock, Frances Berwick, said of the news, “NBCUniversal is making changes to our first-run syndication division to better align with the programming preferences of local stations. The company will remain active in the distribution of our existing program library and other off-network titles, while winding down production of our first-run shows. These shows have provided audiences with great talk and entertainment content for many years, and we’re very proud of the teams behind them.”
New seasons for Karamo and The Steve Wilko Show have already been filmed, but both Access series will come to an end in September, according to Variety.
NBC / Everett Collection
Access Hollywood has been a staple of the TV scene since it first launched in 1996 with Giselle Fernandez and Larry Mendte as hosts. The series was created by Jim Van Messel, a former executive producer on Entertainment Tonight, to rival the CBS program. The current hosts for the series are Kit Hoover, Mario Lopez, and Scott Evans. The series was previously renewed through 2026.
According to Variety, NBC’s decision to cut out syndicated programming will not affect Live With Kelly and Mark, even though fellow NBCUniversal talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show was previously announced as coming to an end after seven seasons.
The site also reports that the reasoning behind the decision to axe syndicated programming is that it is no longer financially viable, as daytime TV audiences have increasingly turned to alternative viewing options, such as streaming media.
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
