NBC renews Last Comic Standing for another season of jokingly fighting to the death

NBC has had a surprisingly hard time committing to Last Comic Standing. It cancelled the show a number of times, it has only aired eight seasons since 2003, and it has burned through six different hosts in those eight seasons. The most surprising thing is that it seems like it should be an obvious hit. Reality shows tend to be stupidly easy to make, and everyone on it is a comedian that is desperate for attention. They’d happily fight each other for the broken halves of a pool cue like in The Dark Knight if it meant getting a chance at whatever the grand prize of Last Comic Standing is.

The network seems to have finally hit a Last Comic Standing groove, though, as it has decided to renew the show for another season. The news comes via Splitsider, which reports that the show’s ninth season will air next summer. Also, there doesn’t appear to be any word yet about whether or not new host J.B. Smoove or new producer Wanda Sykes will stick around, but we imagine Sykes at least will. NBC giving Last Comic Standing another season without waiting a few years is something that hasn’t happened since 2007, and nobody wants to miss out on seeing something so rare.