Comedy Central cancels 'The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore'

"The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore" has been canceled by Comedy Central, according to The New York Times.

The show's 19-month run, with host Larry Wilmore, averaged only 738,000 viewers including 7-day delayed viewing, vs. 1.35 million for "The Daily Show."

Wilmore, in a statement, said: "I'm really grateful to Comedy Central, Jon Stewart, and our fans to have had this opportunity. But I'm also saddened and surprised we won't be covering this crazy election or 'The Unblackening,' as we've coined it. And keeping it 100, I guess I hadn't counted on 'The Unblackening' happening to my time slot as well."

Executive produced by former "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart, the show "@midnight" will move temporarily in 11:30 pm "The Nightly Show" slot while Comedy Central looks for a replacement.

The unusual timing of the decision, 12 weeks before the election (a time when people flock to the late-night shows for commentary), comes down to contracts, according to the Times story.

Wilmore's deal, along with those of several of the show's other staff members, was to expire in a few weeks and the network had to decide whether to renew or cancel.