The announcement from Stephen Colbert that The Late Show was being cancelled sent shockwaves through the late-night television world. Fans were shocked, as were other late-night hosts. Now it seems the repercussions of the announcement are even being felt outside of late-night TV, and even Paramount+’s Tulsa King is feeling the heat.
Tulsa King, the popular Paramount+ series starring Sylvester Stallone, is getting a spinoff. NOLA King will star Samuel L. Jackson and take place in the Big Easy. Normally one would expect a spin-off to a popular series, with a big-name lead actor, to generate a lot of positive fan reaction. Instead, a recent Instagram post promoting the show is full of comments from angry Stephen Colbert fans saying they won’t be watching the show, as they’re canceling their Paramount+ subscription in protest. Comments conclude…
- I love that “cancel paramount plus” is trending on Google! I stand with Stephen!
- My subscription to Paramount + will end. All good things must come to an end. #Stephencolbert ❤️
- I will not be renewing. You paid a bribe to trump. Colbert was telling the truth. I will not be watching any of your shows.
- Subscription Canceled.
CBS claimed the decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was a financial one, as the economics of late-night TV simply didn’t support the show any longer. Still, some believe the decision is related to the recent lawsuit Paramount settled with Donald Trump, ahead of its planned merger with Skydance. Colbert referred to the lawsuit settlement as a bribe during his monologue just days before the cancellation announcement.
Whatever the reason for the cancellation, there seems to be a lot of people who are so upset by it that they’re taking it out on the parent company in the one way they know might have an impact, financially. It’s far from clear how many people are actually cancelling Paramount+ in reaction to the news, but if these Instagram comments are a microcosm, far more people are upset about Colbert than actually excited for the new show.
And that's not great news for a new show like NOLA King. Even if the number of actual cancellations isn't massive, the Colbert situation, drowning out any sort of promotion of new shows, won't be great for those shows. A show like NOLA King that hasn't even begun filming yet, will have plenty of time to recover. Other series coming in the short term might not be so lucky.
It will certainly be interesting to see what the future holds. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert isn’t actually ending for several more months, and quite a lot could happen in that time. If we continue to see this sort of reaction, Paramount+ could be in for a rough few months.
