Facebook Watch Pulls the Plug on Their Entire "Originals" Series. "Red Table Talk" Won't Return.
Facebook, aka Meta, is shaking up more than their share of the internet these past few days and it seems like they're not done yet. The social media giant is CANCELLING all of their Facebook Watch Shows!
According to the folks at Deadline, Mina Lefevre, who was formerly EVP and Head of Scripted at MTV, is exiting as part of the latest round of layoffs at the Mark Zuckerberg-run company, which has seen more than 20,000 employees leave.
While employees and shows have been axed, the public was hoping that the mass severing had come to an end. We've now learned that isn't the case. None of the remaining FB Watch Originals, most notably Red Table Talk, are coming back for new seasons as the company is getting out of that business, shifting its focus on creating VR experiences in Meta Horizon Worlds that can also be deployed across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. FB Watch remains as video player for such content, while members of Lefevre’s team, including Thomas Stockwell, are staying on to work on original programming with an emphasis on VR-first shows.
"Red Table Talk "with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris, which also spawned spinoff Red Table Talk: The Estefans, was the last remaining FB Watch original. It had completed its original order and will not be coming back; series producer Westbrook, is currently looking for a new home.
In addition to the Red Table Talk franchise, Facebook unscripted/talk original series launched under Lefevre also included Steve on Watch with Steve Harvey, Piece of Mind with Taraji with Taraji P. Henson, a reboot of the reality hit MTV’s The Real World, 9 Months with Courteney Cox, Unfiltered: Paris Jackson, The Biebers on Watch and Tom vs. Time with Tom Brady.
These shows have been a source of entertainment for millions across the globe and it's sad to see them go. With Facebook/Meta focusing more on Virtual Reality it seems that those of us who like to live in the REAL reality will be left behind.
