There won’t be a second season of The Jeff Probst Show. CBS Television Distribution said Wednesday that it has canceled the syndicated freshman talk show hosted by the Survivor veteran. Jeff Probst’s daytime talker will not return even though it has a two-year deal for distribution on syndicated television. A victim of low ratings and an inability to stand out among so many shows, the series will finish its current run before leaving the schedule in the summer.
“We believe Jeff is an incredible talent and that he and his dedicated producing team delivered quality episodes throughout the season,” said CTD in a statement. “Unfortunately, the audience isn’t there to support a second year. We are grateful to the entire staff, our affiliate partners and advertisers for their ongoing support of The Jeff Probst Show. Production and broadcast of original episodes will continue through the current season.”
The cancellation announcement comes on the same day that Survivor returns on CBS, for its 26th incarnation with Probst as host and an exec producer. Survivor: Caramoan will feature 10 fans of the show competing with former contestants. When CBS renewed Probst’s Survivor contract, it agreed to work out a schedule that would allow him to do both shows — but that conflict has ended.
Probst was one of four major talk shows that premiered last September, an unusually large number for current market conditions. Besides Ricki Lake, who was canceled last week, there was Disney/ABC’s Katie, starring Katie Couric, which will return for a second season. In the latest syndicated ratings, Katie had a 2.0 household rating and was averaging 2.6 million viewers a day.
