Desus and Mero head to Showtime to host their own talk show
Desus Nice and Kid Mero are heading to Showtime, as the network announced on Monday that its first weekly half-hour late-night series will be hosted by the duo. The show will debut sometime next year. The Vulture reported, that the show will feature the duo “speaking highly off the cuff and chatting with guests at the intersection of pop culture, sports, music, politics and more,” and comes just days after reports circulated that the two were ending their 'Viceland' series Desus & Mero after two seasons.
Netflix seems to be announcing a range of late-night shows every day, assembling a small empire of talk shows with hosts including Michelle Wolf, Norm MacDonald, Joel McHale, and soon, Hasan Minhaj. Vanity Fair has reported that in the meantime Busy Philipps preps a talk show for E! and the team behind the humor site Reductress is assembling its own pilot for Comedy Central.
According to Deadline, the half-hour program is set to debut in 2019, as the duo is coming off a two-season run on Viceland where they were seen hosting their own daily late-night talk show, 'Desus & Mero'. As the two began informing the staff about the pending departure from 'Viceland' last Thursday, the show's final episode is expected to air on June 28. However, 'Viceland' had offered the duo a new deal to try and keep them on the show, in spite of which the duo feels that Showtime has better opportunities in hand.
The Desus & Mero show had been able to make a mark for itself amidst the late-night clutter and had quickly become one of Viceland’s signature shows. Shot daily from the VICE Media Headquarters in Brooklyn, the show features the Bronx-bred pals discussing the issues of the day, covering news, pop culture, and day-to-day life.
Deadline also quoted David Nevins, Showtime Networks President and CEO, who said that the executives and the duo have long awaited one such opportunity to work together. “We have waited a long time to enter the talk-show space, and we were only going to do it if we felt like we had the next big thing...Desus and Mero feel like exactly that: They have knockout comedic voices, they’re brilliant interviewers and they always have a unique take on culture both high and low. They have a loyal and devoted fan base that will only multiply, and we can’t wait to see them take it to the next level on Showtime.”
The duo has expressed their excitement in joining the Showtime family. According to them, "The brand is stronger than ever and we look forward to continuing to make amazing authentic television that will make your Wiggington explode.” Produced by Showtime in New York, the show will be executive produced by Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, and Victor Lopez.