TBS has canceled “Lopez Tonight,” giving fans only a brief window to say farewell to the late night variety program fronted by George Lopez.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Lopez Tonight” will actually air its final episode on Thursday (August 11) night.
“TBS has reached the difficult decision not to order a third season of ‘Lopez Tonight,'” a TBS spokeperson tells the trade. “We are proud to have partnered with George Lopez, who is an immensely talented comedian and entertainer. TBS has valued its partnership with George and appreciates all of his work on behalf of the network, both on and off the air.”
“Lopez Tonight” premiered in November of 2009. After a season of lackluster ratings, “Lopez Tonight” was then pushed back to midnight after TBS won the Conan O’Brien sweepstakes. At the time, Lopez was a good soldier, saying nary a discouraging word about the shift to the less attractive time period, hoping that a strong launch for “Conan” would benefit “Lopez Tonight.”
Not surprisingly, ratings for “Lopez Tonight” have fallen dramatically in its second season, with big recent dips mirroring declines for “Conan.” For the season, “Lopez Tonight” is averaging 546,000 viewers (Live+7), down by 40 percent.