The world of Big Tech has been getting smaller lately as speculation and clownish “pivots” have cost companies billions.
Meta (formerly known as Facebook, while we’re on the topic of clownish pivots) announced a massive series of layoffs. Among the casualties is the decrepit social media giant’s entire slate of original programming.
Grimly, Jada Pinkett Smith’s Emmy-winning talk series, Red Table Talk, received the axe.
It’s the end of an era. Though there is hope for the show to continue. Meta’s loss could be another platform’s gain.
The Wrap reports that Meta canceled Red Table Talk on Wednesday.
The award-winning series was the last of the once-promising Facebook Watch Originals.
Admittedly, a lot of people cannot recall the others. But Steve on Watch and Piece of Mind with Taraji had their days in the sun. It’s just that Red Table Talk went viral multiple times, earning critical acclaim and popular praise.
Meta’s massive wave of layoffs did not only impact low-level employees, but higher-ups and entire departments.
Mina Lefevre was the Head of Development and Programing at Facebook Watch.
Now, that is a thing of the past. With Lefevre’s exit, Red Table Talk is gone, too. But this might not be the end of an era.
Westbrook is the series producer behind Red Table Talk. And this show might not be over.
Sometimes, “we can shop this around to other platforms” is just a pie-in-the-sky dream for a show. But, in those instances, it’s usually a show with high production costs, or relatively low viewership. Not every platform will take that risk.
In contrast? Red Table Talk is famous, popular, and is literally three family members sitting at a red table. Sometimes with a guest. Nobody has to pay for The Mandalorian CGI. Though we would like to see Adrienne Banfield Norris wield the Darksaber.
Jada and Adrienne are two of the hosts of the show. The third is Willow Smith, Jada’s daughter and Adrienne’s granddaughter.
This trio has covered a lot of topics from three very different perspectives.
Relationships with porn, social media, celebrity scandals — they are insightful and thoughtful in ways that you seldom get on other talk shows.
And, of course, they are a celebrity family.
At times, this gives them access to people who might be leery of discussing certain topics on TV.
It can also give Jada the social clout to stand up to the biggest names in the entertainment industry.
So, who will pick up this groundbreaking series?
It’s hard to imagine it being “Max.” That is the SEO-unfriendly, un-Googlable clown show that David Zaslav is making with the unholy fusion of HBOMax’s (remaining) catalogue and the garbage that he offers at Discovery Plus.
Netflix is a maybe … but who knows what Netflix’s “business model” is these days. Certainly not Netflix. Amazon Prime could do it. Paramount Plus or Peacock could do it. A few others.
Regardless, we would like to see more of Red Table Talk.
This wonderful family has a lot to share, and their supportive atmosphere helps a lot of people to open up about things in a safe environment.
Losing the show is, well, a loss.
Jada Pinkett Smith Facebook Show, Red Table Talk, Canceled Amidst Meta Cutbacks was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.