HBO Cancels Bill Simmons Talk Show ‘Any Given Wednesday’

HBO announced on Friday Nov. 4 that its Bill Simmons-hosted talk show “Any Given Wednesday” will conclude its series run on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

The decision to end “Any Given Wednesday” was mutually agreed upon by HBO and Simmons.

Simmons stated, “One of the many reasons I joined HBO was to see if we could create a show built around smart conversations for sports fans and pop culture junkies. We loved making that show, but unfortunately it never resonated with audiences like we hoped. And that’s on me.”

“HBO is committed to Bill Simmons, and we are excited to bring his unique vision to bear on an array of new programming initiatives under the HBO Sports banner in 2017,” said Peter Nelson, executive vice president, HBO Sports.

HBO signed Simmons to a reported $20 million, three-year deal in July 2015.

“Any Given Wednesday,” having premiered on June 22 earlier this year, will have aired for just 17 episodes. It was originally slated for a 20-episode season but lackluster viewership and overall lack of social media buzz were the primary causes for its cancellation. Its most recent Nov. 2 telecast drew just 145,000 same-day viewers, according to Nielsen — roughly half of how many view HBO’s monthly sports magazine program “Real Sports.”