For the second time in the last few months, I find myself at a loss for words over something that happened regarding a late-night talk show.
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I probably shouldn’t have been shocked by the news that “Jimmy Kimmel Live” has been pulled “indefinitely” from ABC after all, when the news broke a few months ago that CBS would be ending “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in May of 2026, I said I felt like ABC would do the same with Kimmel’s show (his contract, like Colbert’s, ends then).

But it was the reason why Kimmel’s show has been, at least temporarily, suspended that surprised me. It was for comments he made on his Monday night (September 15) show about the way the conservative press, politicians, etc., had handled the reveal of Charlie Kirk’s murderer – essentially hoping that the killer would be anybody who didn’t resemble them.

Kimmel said: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

That was it. That inoffensive, and accurate in my assessment, statement, which had nothing to do with Kirk in itself, was enough to start the ball rolling to get Kimmel’s show removed from the air.

On Wednesday (Sept. 17), the Nexstar Media Group Inc. said that it would stop airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on its 32 ABC affiliates.

Andrew Alford, the president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said: “Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national discourse.”
Sure, Andrew. Sounds like bullshit to me.

Later in the day, Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, appeared on a YouTube episode hosted by commentator Benny Johnson, and seemingly threatened ABC and Disney to decide on Kimmel’s show.

He said, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. There’s calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.”

The “we can do this the easy way or the hard way” is clearly a “the ball is in your court” type threat to ABC/Disney, and ABC/Disney cowardly made the decision to sideline the show “indefinitely.”

After the decision to sideline “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the Sinclair Broadcast Group decided to get in on the fun, too. Sinclair has decided to use Kimmel’s timeslot on Friday to air a tribute special to Kirk on its ABC affiliates, which includes my local one in Little Rock, Ark. And, furthermore, Sinclair stated its affiliates wouldn’t resume airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live” until “we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.” The company has also called for Kimmel to issue a direct apology to Kirk’s family and to make a personal donation to both the family and Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA. That seems an awful lot like an ultimatum Kimmel must follow to get back on Sinclair’s affiliate stations.

So, it seems the FCC, Nexstar and Sinclair have done what they can to force Kimmel off of television, and ABC/Disney cowardly accepted the demands for fear of being fined or losing money with the show not airing on many of its affiliates.

If something as innocuous as what Kimmel said, which drew the ire of the FCC and these media companies, can get him removed from television, we are fucked as a country. If we’re not allowed to differ in our opinions on what’s going on in this country without the threat of losing our jobs, we are simply fucked.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Kimmel and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” going forward, but I have a bad feeling we have seen the last of him and his show on ABC, and honestly, at this point, it may be of his own decision to walk away from a company that didn’t stand up for him when it should have.   

One thing I noticed the day after the 77th annual Primetime Emmy Awards aired on CBS on Sunday, September 13, is that critics almost unanimously thought comedian Nate Bargatze was among the worst hosts in the history of the awards.

I must confess that even though I am a fan of Bargatze’s comedy – I’m actually seeing him for a second time later this week in Little Rock, Ark. – I had my concerns about him hosting the Emmys before the telecast. Bargatze doesn’t seem very versed in pop culture, particularly the majority of the television shows nominated for awards and felt he might struggle with the typical monologue one would give at a Hollywood award show.

My fears were assuaged when Bargatze opted to forgo a traditional award show monologue, instead choosing to begin the Emmys with a continuation of his George Washington sketches, which have been incredibly popular during his hosting stints on “Saturday Night Live” over the last two years. He also performed a similar role as an angel at the Nativity during his CBS Christmas special last holiday season. For the Emmys, Bargatze took on the role of Philo T. Farnsworth, the father of television, explaining to three men (played by ‘SNL’ cast members Mikey Day, James Austin Johnson, and Bowen Yang) what television would be like in the future.

Yes, I understand that this concept may be wearing thin for some, but it still makes me laugh.

Aside from the cold opening, Bargatze had only one bit that ran throughout the night, and it was no doubt one that the network likely played a part in to help the live telecast run smoothly.

Bargatze said he would donate $100,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America – but there was a catch. For every acceptance speech that ran over the allotted 45 seconds, he would subtract $1000 from the total for every extra second. For every speech that lasted under 45 seconds, he would add an additional $ 1,000 for each second.

This act of charity, and the game made out of it, seems to be the main sticking point for the criticisms of Bargatze’s hosting gig.

I can agree that a three-hour running gag can wind up making eyes roll, but Bargatze’s quips throughout the night, especially the one about a show called “Adolescence” taking money from adolescents, kept me chuckling.

Most of the criticisms found the gag to be unfair to the night’s award-winners, who tried to beat the clock in an effort not to take money away from the kiddos, but anyone watching surely had to have known by the night’s end that Bargatze and CBS would be coughing up money regardless, because otherwise they would’ve looked like massive villains.

In the end, the actual tally would’ve been in the negative, but CBS gave $100,000, which, let’s face it, seems cheap for a network, and Bargatze gave $250,000. At the very least, the night’s telecast raised $350,000 for the charity, but it's likely that the continuous mentions throughout the night led to word of mouth, prompting many viewers to contribute from their living rooms across the country.

Also, the winners truly weren’t letting it affect their speeches, as you could tell from the many that went over the allotted 45 seconds.

Wouldn’t we rather see money donated to charity than hear an obnoxious orchestra play music to run award-winners off the stage or producers who mute the microphone after a certain amount of time?
The way the producers of Sunday’s telecast chose to adhere to the time limit is frankly the nicest way I’ve ever seen an award telecast handle the situation. That’s why I’m shocked it’s universally hated on. I feel like it’s the biggest Hollywood press overreaction in quite some time.

I understand wanting to give award winners the spotlight – it’s their time to shine, after all. But the only way to truly do that would be to move these awards to a streaming service where runtimes don’t matter. If we want a four- to five-hour Emmy telecast, this can certainly be achieved.

By the way, if you’d like to donate to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, you can do so at www.bgca.org. 

NCIS: Tony & Ziva (Paramount+) – Thursday, September 4
“NCIS,” the popular CBS crime drama that has been on the air since 2003, certainly didn’t need another spinoff. There have already been five (two of which are still on the air). But, bringing two fan-favorite characters from the original series, Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo and Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David, together for their own series should be a winning combination for fans of the series – maybe even some who have given up on the original series after more than 20 years on TV.  “NCIS: Tony & Ziva” premieres on Paramount+ on Thursday, Sept. 4, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it immediately became the streamer’s most popular series.

The Paper (Peacock) – Thursday, September 4
Peacock’s latest series, “The Paper,” is a loosely based spinoff of “The Office” in that it’s created by Greg Daniels, told via the mockumentary aspect that made “The Office” revolutionary among American television, and features Oscar Nunez’s Oscar Martinez, one of the characters in “The Office.” “The Paper” follows a fledgling local print newspaper (aren’t they all) in Toledo, Ohio, which has been taken over by a new editor in Domhnall Gleeson’s Ned Sampson. Featuring a supporting cast including Sabrina Impacciatore and Chelsea Frei, it’ll be interesting to see how many fans of the beloved “The Office” will find “The Paper.” “The Paper” premieres on Peacock on Thursday, Sept. 4, and unlike most Peacock series, all 10 episodes will be dropped at once. 

Task (HBO/HBO Max) – Sunday, September 7
Creator/writer Brad Ingelsby took the TV world by storm in 2021 with the limited series “Mare of Easttown,” which dominated at the Emmy Awards with three acting wins, including its lead Kate Winslet. His next project for HBO is “Task,” starring Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo as an FBI agent tasked with ending a string of violent robberies in Philadelphia. The supporting cast features Tom Pelphrey and Emilia Jones. “Task” premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, Sept. 7. 

Black Rabbit (Netflix) – Thursday, September 18
Jason Bateman has had a lot of success with his Netflix relationship, with the revival and resumption of “Arrested Development,” his Emmy-nominated acting and Emmy-winning directing turn in the dark drama “Ozark” and starring in one of the streamer’s most popular original films, “Carry-On.” His latest work for the streamer is the miniseries “Black Rabbit,” in which he plays the chaotic Vince Friedken, who reenters the life of his brother, Jake, played by Jude Law, and throws his life into escalating dangers that might bring down his successful life. “Black Rabbit” premieres on Netflix on Thursday, Sept. 18. 

The Lowdown (FX) – Tuesday, September 23
Sterlin Harjo. After three brilliant seasons of his series “Reservation Dogs,” an FX production that aired on Hulu, I will follow him to anything he does. His follow-up to “Reservation Dogs” is “The Lowdown,” premiering on FX on Tuesday, Sept. 23. “The Lowdown” is reportedly about a man “who knows too much,” and is loosely based on Lee Roy Chapman, a Tulsa-man who’s researched helped reshape contemporary understanding on the racial history of Tulsa, Okla. Ethan Hawke, who memorably appeared in a guest role in “Reservation Dogs,” will lead the series with a supporting cast that includes Tim Blake Nelson, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Kyle MacLachlan and Keith David.  

English Teacher: Season 2 (FX/Hulu) – Thursday, September 25
“English Teacher,” the FX comedy created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez, was one of the surprise hits of 2024. Alvarez stars as high school English teacher Evan Marquez, who struggles with both working with today’s students and his love life. The series features an incredibly hilarious supporting cast that includes Stephanie Koenig, Sean Patton and Enrico Colantoni. Season two premieres on FX on Thursday, Sept. 25, and the entire season will be available on Hulu the following day. 

The Savant (AppleTV+) – Friday, September 26
Jessica Chastain is the latest Oscar-winning movie star to try her hand at prestige television with AppleTV+’s thriller miniseries “The Savant.” Chastain stars as the titular savant, who infiltrates online hate groups in efforts to prevent large-scale public attacks. The series, created by Melissa James Gibson, is based on a 2019 Cosmopolitan article about a real-life woman known as “the Savant,” who does the same. “The Savant” premieres on Friday, Sept. 26.