Netflix's Cancellation of 'The Joel McHale Show' and 'The Break With Michelle Wolf' Met With Mixed Reaction

Netflix officially canceled both The Break With Michelle Wolf and The Joel McHale Show on Friday, [...]

By Michael Hein

Netflix officially canceled both The Break With Michelle Wolf and The Joel McHale Show on Friday, but the two talk shows got very different responses on social media.

Netflix was apparently dissatisfied with both of its new talk shows this year, dropping Wolf's skewering political roast show as well as McHale's new insult-heavy pop culture commentary. According to a report by Entertainment Weekly, the streaming service felt that neither show could be salvaged, though fans did not all feel the same way.

The Break was summarily mourned by Wolf's fans, many of whom felt that she had suffered from being one of the first shows Netflix aired on a weekly schedule. The streaming giant has been making an effort to put more of its series on a half-season schedule, as many fans find it daunting when a whole season appears at once. However, some felt Wolf's weekly schedule was too far in the other direction.

"I enjoyed [The Break] but the weekly thing doesn't work with streaming," one person wrote. "It isn't like DVR where you're reminded of an episode when it pops up in your saved list. I'd go several weeks before remembering new episodes were ready."

"[Netflix] you are as cold as a Midwest Winter," chimed in another. "You went and canceled [The Break]. What am I supposed to do on Sunday nights now?"

"[Netflix] [what the f—] are you thinking cancelling [The Break] with Michelle Wolf??" asked a third person. "It is pure gold and [Michelle Wolf] is amazing."

"I'm extremely disappointed with the cancellation of [The Break] on [Netflix]! Her witty will be greatly missed."

Still, with Wolf's penchant for harsh, roast-style humor, it's no surprise that many felt perfectly comfortable mocking her for the sudden loss of employment. A number of angry tweets were directed at Wolf herself, suggesting that justice had somehow been served.

"[Michelle Wolf] is not funny!" declared one person. "We have always turned her off. She yells, makes fun of others and has a filthy mouth! She makes those I know want to vomit."

"I guess even Netflix didn't like your abortion jokes," added another. "[Laughing out loud]."

The sentiments were similar over on McHale's side of the fence, perhaps with a bit more mourning of his short-lived show. The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale got an extra six-episode order in July, making its cancellation that much more surprising.

"So [Netflix] cancelled the [Joel McHale] show because apparently quality is not something that's of interest to NetFlix," one fan noted.

"awww man...[Joel McHale] I'll greatly miss your show. [Netflix] are fools to can the goodness of your satire. I'll keep loving your shows, you keep getting em cancelled - cool? Cool."

Surprisingly, while McHale's show featured more direct and personal attacks on individuals, there was not as much celebrating online that it was over — likely because it was not political in nature. Still, there was a thin sliver of the Venn Diagram between the two demographics that was glad to see both shows go.

"I never watched an entire episode of Joel McHale's show and the sound of Michelle Wolf's voice made deafness seem appealing so I'm okay," one person tweeted.

Of course, fans of both shows have created numerous petitions online, calling on Netflix or another outlet to rescue the productions.

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