ESPN's "Highly Questionable," which launched in 2011, has been canceled and will have its final show on Friday, the network announced on Thursday.
However, the "spirit of the show" will carry on in a new digital series "Debatable," which will launch on Oct. 4. The show, which will showcase a "familiar cast," will be available every weekday with new episodes debuting exclusively on ESPN’s Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts, as well as the ESPN App.
Longtime radio host Dan Le Batard, who also hosted "Highly Questionable," parted ways with the network in January. At the time, it was announced the show would remain on ESPN.
In other news, ESPN will premiere "This Just In" hosted by Max Kellerman on Sept. 14. The show will air Tuesdays at 2 p.m. ET.
"The live, one-hour show will provide all the latest news, opinion and analysis on the day’s trending and under-the-radar afternoon headlines and look ahead at potential news-making moments that evening," ESPN's statement said. It added that Kellerman will also regularly be joined by ESPN’s insiders and analysts.
(Photo: Robin Alam / Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
What is the legacy of "Highly Questionable?"
Richard Deitsch, senior media writer: The show was a successful television vehicle for Le Batard — and later his father, Gonzolo, who became the show's true star. It was unorthodox in that it did not look or sound like sports television.
But it found a niche following thanks to the care of producer Erik Rydholm and served as an incubator to get heavy reps for young on-air talent such as Bomani Jones, Pablo Torre, and Mina Kimes among others. That it gave a television forum for ESPN's young talent is the show's true legacy.
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Was this the right move for Max Kellerman after leaving First Take?
Deitsch: Kellerman now has his own live, one-hour show on ESPN in the afternoon and that's a good landing spot after the end of his First Take run. I don't think the show will find any viewership success but it really doesn't matter for Kellerman: He'll be paid a nice wage and also get significant airtime on ESPN Radio. It keeps him relevant.
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