Back in July, Jon Stewart announced that his lengthy, beardy hiatus from TV would soon come to an end. The former Daily Show host was set to create a multi-platform animated series, of all things, with HBO, a deal that was cemented last April. Short, topical videos that allowed Stewart to express his thoughts on the news were supposed to begin rolling out as early as September, giving the comedian a way back into the political fray without the weighty obligation of a daily late-night show. Sharp satire was sorely needed at the time, as other late-night hosts were still finding their footing in the unwieldy fracas of the presidential election.
Fast-forward to May, and the show still hasn’t materialized. And now, it’s official: The New York Times reported Tuesday that Stewart and HBO have officially decided to take their project off the table.
“HBO and Jon Stewart have decided not to proceed with a short form digital animated project,” the two said in a joint statement Tuesday night, per the Times. “We all thought the project had great potential, but there were technical issues in terms of production and distribution that proved too difficult given the quick turnaround and topical nature of the material. We’re excited to report that we have some future projects together which you will be hearing about in the near future.” Translation: even Stewart and an army of animators can’t keep up with an increasingly insane news cycle, which has stymied every late-night host on television.
After stepping down from The Daily Show, Stewart signed a four-year deal with the powerful network. This animated series was supposed to be both a more official return to TV, and a means for HBO to bolster its digital platforms, as the shorts were destined for apps like HBO Now. As the Times notes, Stewart signed the four-year deal at a time when HBO was looking to get more into the unscripted game, joining a programming schedule that includes former Daily Show correspondent John Oliver—who’s found rapturous success (and Emmy Awards) with his weekly late-night show, “destroying” a number of political figures and topics along the way. Bill Simmons was also supposed to usher in a new chapter for unscripted HBO series, but his weekly talk show was canceled after a few months.
Regardless, Stewart still has a deal with the network, and it seems unlikely that he would stray from a topical comedy series of sorts. The time and money HBO spent creating the animated series is “significant,” the Times says, so both parties are surely eager to create something that’s guaranteed to work this time around. So, what’s next for Stewart? Per Deadline, an announcement about that mysterious future project HBO promised should be coming in a few weeks. Hopefully it won’t be too long before the late-night host graces our screens once more. He can’t just tend to sheep and goats forever, can he?
