NBC Cancels Promising Show

Game show fans are in for another disappointment at NBC, where Small Fortune has just been canceled. The show was hosted by comedian Lil Rel Howery, and it just premiered in May of 2021. According to a report by Deadline, it has officially been canceled.

Small Fortune was considered a promising show by most viewers. It brought on competitors in teams of three friends and challenged them to compete in miniaturized games and tasks with elaborate dioramas — hence the title. The first season included a tiny sushi conveyor belt, for example, and a tiny replica of Ellis Island in New York City. The challengers needed focus and dexterity to get through these familiar tasks at an unfamiliar scale. Failure could mean elimination, but it could also mean big prize money.

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The show was based on a format that has worked in the U.K. before, but apparently, it did not have the same impact here. The show was co-produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio and Youngest Media, with Steve Barry and Joe Braswell serving as showrunners and executive producers along with Lucas Church and David Flynn as fellow EPs.

Howery was not only host but an executive producer of the show as well. He is perhaps best known for playing Rod Williams in Jordan Peele’s acclaimed movie Get Out in 2017. Howery’s character was a TSA agent and best friend of the main character, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya). He served as comic relief through most of the film but still played an integral role in its plot.

Howery was born and raised in Chicago, where he started his career as a stand-up comedian. He found his big break on The Last Comic Standing in 2007 and began to find more mainstream work. He played Bobby on The Carmichael Show, and now finds work in some major blockbuster films, including last year’s Free Guy.

Sadly, Howery is no stranger to short-lived shows when it comes to TV. He co-starred in the one-season revival of In Living Color in 2012, and in the one-season sketch show Friends of the People on TruTV. Most heartbreaking of all, Howery had his own sitcom on Fox called Rel in 2018, but the show was canceled after one season.

Of course, these other cancellations won’t ease the sting for fans of Small Fortune, which will not be returning for another season. At the time of this writing, the single existing season is not available to stream anywhere.