What idiot canceled ‘Drunk History’? This show deserves saving

We’re putting on our clown shoes, because Drunk History was just canceled. Merely two days after we published an article about why Drunk History is here to stay, the powers that be at Comedy Central put us to shame by canceling the long-running series and dashed any wasted hopes we had for 2021.

While we could talk all day about how amazing this show was and how it had potential to keep running long into the future, we’ll just tap out now because everyone at Film Daily echoes your sadness and is drinking their sorrows away. Keep reading to find out how the Drunk History cancellation happened and what we can do – if anything.

Comedy Central shakes it up

It was reported that Drunk History was renewed for season 7 last year and was heading into pre-production, but due to COVID-19, all plans were put to a halt in March. The move was part of Comedy Central’s push towards more adult animation instead of live-action shows, with which they had made a name for themselves previously. 

The announcement comes after last week’s decision to move both The Other Two & South Side to HBO Max and leave Awkwafina is Nora From Queens and Corporate as the only remaining scripted live-action shows on Comedy Central. The network will also reboot animated shows like Beavis & Butt-Head and The Ren & Stimpy Show and is developing Jodie, a Daria spinoff. 

Drunk History series creator Derek Waters signed a first-look deal with Comedy Central when season 7 was renewed and will continue to develop new projects at the network despite the cancellation of the show that brought him widespread acclaim.

Drunk History’s liquored legacy

Drunk History featured three historical storylines told in succession by a changing cast of actors who recreate the drunken, and often rambling, regurgitations of history by a comedian or sketch artist. In its six seasons, Drunk History managed to cover everything from Lewis & Clark to the Stonewall Riots and featured guest appearances by the likes of Winona Ryder, Quest Love, Seth Rogen, and even Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

After beginning as a YouTube experiment on Waters’s channel, the series moved over to Funny or Die before being picked up by Comedy Central, where in 2019 it reportedly brought in over 100 million views across social media platforms. On the show’s official YouTube channel, Drunk History saw 522% growth compared to 2018, which would usually indicate that a show’s strong commercial success. 

Nevertheless, Drunk History was still canceled. Some speculate the high cost of producing the show – which includes period costumes and sets – is a factor. Its final season, which wrapped on August 6th, 2019, is up for three Emmy nominations adding to its total of seventeen over the six-year run.

The unofficial season finale “Bad Blood” ironically featured a story about Typhoid Mary, the first asymptomatic carrier of the disease. The episode aired months before the current pandemic, but it’s still very symbolic – and a fitting end to Drunk History. 

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Are you as upset as we are? Come relive the glory days with us by picking up a bottle of Jameson and streaming Drunk History on Hulu while we still can!