Peacock Cancels Two Shows

Two MSNBC news shows hosted by Zerlina Maxwell and Ayman Mohyeldin were canceled at NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming platform last week. Their shows were canceled as Peacock looks to shake up the MSNBC hub on the streamer, sources told The Wrap on Aug. 10. The journalists will continue working at MSNBC.

Maxwell, who joined MSBC in 2018 and is a former campaign aide to Hillary Clinton, will remain as an analyst for MSNBC. Maxwell also hosts the Sirius XM show Mornings With Zerlina. Mohyedin will continue hosting his weekend prime-time show on cable and will appear on the network as a fill-in anchor and reporter during the week. The charges will begin in September.

It’s unclear what the changes Peacock and MSNBC are envisioning for the MSNBC hub on the platform. MSNBC’s biggest change recently came when the network named Alex Wagner the new 9 p.m. ET slot host, beginning on Tuesday, four days a week. Rachel Maddow will only host The Rachel Maddow Show once a week on Mondays.

As for Peacock, it is still struggling to find an original series to get people talking. Although Bel-Air, Dr. Death, and Killing It have all been picked up for new seasons, many of Peacock’s shows haven’t survived past a single season on the two-year-old platform. Even high-profile sitcom reboots Saved by the Bell and Punky Brewster didn’t last long.

Earlier this month, Peacock and NBC announced plans to move Days of Our Lives to the streaming platform in September. Peacock is already home to recent Days of Our Lives spin-offs featuring the beloved Salem residents. Days is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Corday Productions and was already renewed for the 2022-2023 season.

“This programming shift benefits both Peacock and NBC and is reflective of our broader strategy to utilize our portfolio to maximize reach and strengthen engagement with viewers,” Mark Lazarus, chairman, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said on Aug. 3. “With a large percentage of the Days of Our Lives audience already watching digitally, this move enables us to build the show’s loyal fanbase on streaming while simultaneously bolstering the network daytime offering with an urgent, live programming opportunity for partners and consumers.”