Syndicated shows “Dish Nation,” “Person, Place or Thing” and “Pictionary” will not be returning for another season, reports TVNewsCheck, citing a spokeswoman for Fox First Run, the first-run development arm for Fox Entertainment, and the distribution company for Fox Television Stations.
According to the outlet, as ratings continue to fall below sustainable financial levels for syndicated programming, many station groups are faced with making the difficult decision of what shows will continue airing on their schedules.
Of the first-run syndicated programs currently airing across much of FOX Television Stations, TVNewsCheck noted that only talk show “Sherri,” distributed by Debmar-Mercury, and FOX-owned “TMZ” and “TMZ Live” appear safe. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. distributed shows like “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” “Extra” and “True Crime News,” and Trifecta’s “Crime Expose with Nancy O’Dell,” are said to be on the bubble.
“Fox’s decisions have ramifications for stations all across the nation because it is the group that clears shows through the country’s three largest markets: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago,” the outlet said in its reporting while emphasizing stations are seeking daytime programming that “can generate revenue streams across multiple platforms and/or be run multiple times a day.”
Looking to the future, only two first-run offerings are set to premiere this fall, both of which are game shows – CBS Media Ventures vehicle “Perfect Line,” hosted by Deborah Norville, and “Scrambled Up!” from Keller/Noll, Playing Field Entertainment and Crazy Legs Productions.
Game shows continue performing well for stations with “Jeopardy!” “Wheel of Fortune” and “Family Feud” at the top of the syndication ratings, and even the Jaleel White-hosted game show “Flip Side” growing to all time highs, emerging as the fourth most watched syndicated game show.
A co-production between Fox First Run and CBS Media Ventures, the Jerry O’Connell-hosted “Pictionary” premiered in the fall of 2022 and is based on the beloved game of quick sketches and hilarious guesses by Mattel. Meanwhile, the Dino Bones Productions produced “Person, Place or Thing” debuted in 2023 and is hosted by Melissa Peterman.
After an initial test run in the summer of 2011, “Dish Nation” officially entered the syndication game in the fall of 2012, featuring a group of radio deejays discussing the latest news and information with an emphasis on celebrities and entertainment. In its later seasons, the show became a talk/entertainment hybrid and was hosted by Tamar Braxton, Headkrack, Gary with da Tea, Da Brat, Tanner Thomason and Jessie Woo.