Divided nation comes together to agree nobody wants to watch Alec Baldwin's stupid talk show
Regardless of how America’s political fortunes shift and turn tonight, at least there’s one thing we can collectively hold on to: Alec Baldwin is having a pretty lousy evening, too. Variety reports this evening that Baldwin’s ABC talk show has just been unceremoniously dumped from its place of pride on the network’s Sunday night schedule, where it will now be replaced by reruns of Shark Tank—because America would rather watch Mr. Wonderful turn down the inventor of edible cellphones twice, than watch Alec Baldwin talk to famous people even once. Baldwin’s show will instead air on Saturday nights, that blasted wasteland where only America’s most dateless of shut-ins are likely to have their TVs on, and even then, probably only by accident.
And while the polarization and divisiveness of 2018 America is undeniable at this point, there’s still something kind of beautiful in how we can all come together to not watch The Alec Baldwin Show, which has quickly distinguished itself as one of the least-watched programs on the ABC schedule. (Also, it has a 0 percent freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s not like this is a little-seen critical darling, either.) Who can say why? Maybe it’s Baldwin’s personality, and the persistent worry that he might battle us over a parking spot, or dub us “a rude, thoughtless little pig.” Maybe people just don’t want to watch a late-night talk show during prime time hours. Maybe we’re all just thoroughly fucking sick of Ricky Gervais.
In any case, Baldwin still has Match Game going for him on the network, and the warm, reassuring glow that his latest (and inexplicable) effort to turn himself into late-night’s next Chevy Chase has already outlived his last such experiment, his five-episode stint as host of MSNBC’s bizarre, diner-themed Up Late With Alec Baldwin.