HBO's Bill Simmons yesterday went on N.Y.-based WWPR-FM and "opened up" about why his show, "Any Given Wednesday," was canceled "after just five months of air time," according to Kyle Schnitzer of the N.Y. POST. Simmons said, "I wish it’d been monthly. I think it’s really hard to do a weekly show and just pop in and out and be like, ‘Here’s my take.'" Simmons said that his show "got lost because it aired mid-week." Simmons: "Everyone's got the take on whatever. I don't know how you just parachute it on Wednesday and have a take that's greater than everyone's take." He also "acknowledged that people ultimately wanted to see the show fail because of his own divisive personality." Simmons: "When you have some success with anything. I think, at a certain point people are like, 'F--k this guy'" (N.Y. POST, 12/13). In N.Y., Evan Grossman writes Simmons "failed to realize, or maybe just admit, his HBO show was terrible." He "leaves out the part where he had a year and primo TV writing talent and the network's bottomless resources to create something good." The format of the show was "constantly changing," and producers "quickly found out Simmons appeared awkward and forced during stand-ups that were eventually scrapped." Even weekly segments that were "promised were trashed as the show, in pre-production for months, failed to find its legs." In the end, the show was "disemboweled by critics because it was not a good show" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/13).
