HBO has decided to stop production on the animated Jon Stewart program. It’s unfortunate news for Stewart’s many fans that were looking forward to this series.
A statement was issued by both HBO and Stewart.
“HBO and Jon Stewart have decided not to proceed with a shortform digital animated project,” HBO said in a statement. “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.”
The material Stewart was working on was going to appear on both HBO Now and HBO Go. It had been expected to be available in time for the presidential election but delays made it impossible.
The plan for the series was first announced in late 2015, a few months after Stewart ended his longtime run as host of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Despite this project being pulled, Stewart still has a few years left on his four-year production deal with the network.
All is not completely lost for Stewart. He still appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert every now and then, where he maintains an executive producer credit.
The New York Times was the first to break the news.