The Apprentice franchise was once a mainstay of NBC reality television, and Donald Trump's tenure as host of Celebrity Apprentice was frequently sensational enough to attract sizable audiences on a weekly basis. Celebrity Apprentice went through a big change after Trump decided to run for president, and he was replaced as host by Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. Schwarzenegger's season of Celebrity Apprentice wasn't exactly a smash hit in the ratings, however, and NBC has come to a decision about the future of the series. NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt weighed in on what's in store on the Celebrity Apprentice front, saying this:
It's really on the shelf and I don't think we have any plans to bring it back. I don't know when we would start thinking about it again. I think it really is a dry dock.
It seems that fans of Celebrity Apprentice should resign themselves to not getting any new seasons for a long time, if ever. Considering that reboots and revivals have proven successful in recent years, it wouldn't be altogether shocking if Celebrity Apprentice gets another chance at some point; the chance just probably won't arise for a while. Bob Greenblatt's comments to THR indicate that NBC has given Celebrity Apprentice all the chances it's going to get for the time being.
All things considered, the decision to shelve Celebrity Apprentice probably won't come as a surprise to many. A healthy amount of the buzz that was ever generated about the show came from the Twitter war between Donald Trump and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The ratings were disappointing as well, with season averages of only 1.3 in the key 18-49 ratings demographic and 4.9 million viewers. Donald Trump's comments about the ratings guaranteed that plenty of people were aware that the new season wasn't performing as well as past seasons, which probably didn't help.
There's also the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger has already stated that he wouldn't return for another season, even if the show was renewed. Schwarzenegger revealed that he believes that the U.S. is in such "a very divisive period" that he doesn't think the show could succeed. Politics became a part of the show, even if unintentionally, when an executive producer was elected President of the United States, and who watches Celebrity Apprentice for politics? The decision to put an end to Celebrity Apprentice for the time being was apparently made a while ago. Staffers who had spent years working in the Apprentice franchise were informed earlier this year that they could start searching for other jobs.
There are still plenty of TV options without Celebrity Apprentice returning to the airwaves. Our summer TV guide can show you what series are available these days, and our fall schedule can assist you with planning what to watch in the next couple of months. For the biggest and most exciting reboots and revivals that are in the works, check out our breakdown.
