Karen Walker would have a few choice words about this: Megan Mullally’s syndicated talk-variety show is finished after less than five months.
The low-rated “The Megan Mullally Show” has been canceled and production has been halted, NBC Universal Television Distribution said Wednesday. Original and repeat episodes of the show, which debuted last September, will air through January.
“I am extremely proud of the show we created and am thankful for the passion and tireless efforts of (executive producer) Corin Nelson and the entire staff,” Mullally said in a statement Wednesday issued by NBC Universal.
Mullally, who played the outrageous and spoiled socialite Karen on “Will & Grace,” was lauded by NBC Universal as “one of the most talented people in our business,” and the company thanked her for her “tireless commitment.”
The actress was an audience favorite on “Will & Grace,” NBC’s long-running sitcom that wrapped last May after eight years. But that popularity failed to convert to talk-show strength, with her new show drawing just over 1 million daily viewers.
In comparison, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” the top syndicated talk show, is watched by about 8 million viewers.
Mullally became intrigued by the idea of hosting a talk show after subbing for David Letterman on his “Late Show” in 2003.
“It had never occurred to me that hosting a talk show was a job that you could actually have,” she told The Associated Press before her program bowed last fall. “It had seemed like a very far-fetched profession. Like being an astronaut.”
In addition to her TV career, Mullally starred on Broadway in the musicals “Grease” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and fronts her own band, Supreme Music Program.
A replacement for her show was not announced Wednesday.