<\/p>\n
Stephen Colbert<\/a> fans are begging him to \u201csave PBS<\/a>\u201d with a new show in a viral online campaign after The Late Show With Stephen Colbert<\/a><\/em> was canceled.<\/p>\n On May 24, three days after the final episode of The Late Show<\/em><\/a> aired, Ashley Rickards<\/a> took to X<\/a> with an idea that many fans have latched onto. Rickards \u2014 an actor, writer, and director who played Jenna Hamilton in the MTV show Awkward<\/a><\/em> \u2014 wrote, \u201cUhm. Colbert could save PBS. Please have your NEW show on PBS. We will buy all the tote bags. PLEASE.\u201d<\/p>\n As Rickart told Late Nighter<\/a>, the idea\u2019s views across her social media profiles surpassed 485,000 within 48 hours. She also elaborated on her plan via Instagram<\/a>, writing, \u201cLast night I posted a silly tweet on my X account about Colbert saving PBS, and apparently the internet agreed. So I did a little math and made a whole presentation about it.\u201d<\/p>\n In the slideshow, she explained that Colbert would air one show per month on PBS, with him and his staff donating their time and PBS covering basic production costs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe numbers actually make sense,\u201d she claimed. \u201cA stripped down production costs PBS maybe $150-200K per episode. Even if only half of Colbert\u2019s audience showed up to a pledge drive that same night, PBS raises $1.5-2.5M. In one evening. Twelve times a year. And the time slot writes itself \u2014 8PM Sunday on PBS, right before Masterpiece<\/a><\/em>. Colbert brings his audience in, they stay for the whole evening. PBS wins Sunday night.\u201d<\/p>\n To conclude her pitch, Rickart pointed out, \u201cPBS is under real threat right now. Federal funding cuts<\/a>, attacks on public media. And there\u2019s a brilliant, newly-free host sitting at home who has spent a decade defending everything PBS stands for. Someone had to say it. @stephentcolbert \u2014 12 days a year. We will buy so many tote bags.\u201d<\/p>\n Reactions to Colbert potentially having a new show on PBS were mixed. Some were fully on board, with one X user writing<\/a>, \u201cHe could do a weekly show like <\/span>@iamjohnoliver<\/a><\/span>\u00a0does (and essentially what @jonstewart<\/a><\/span> does). Those three are amazing and could absolutely save PBS and keep it funded for a century. This is a fantastic idea.\u201d<\/p>\n Another X user shared<\/a>, \u201cI would pay monthly if Colbert was on PBS.\u201d<\/p>\n A different Colbert fan shared via Instagram, \u201cYes @colbert<\/a>, please come to @pbs<\/a> \u2014 it\u2019s not owned by billionaires! It\u2019s the only network that still has integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n Others were skeptical, with one X user pointing out<\/a>, \u201cHe literally was losing CBS 40 million a year<\/a> because nobody watched him, and you think he could save PBS?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A second echoed<\/a>, \u201cNow all the people who didn\u2019t watch him on CBS can now not watch him on PBS.\u201d<\/p>\n Someone on Instagram pointed out, \u201cLove the idea, but asking his staff to donate their time is a heavy lift. Those folks need a salary, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, yet another Instagram follower commented, \u201cI worked in public broadcasting for 25+ years. The spirit of this idea is golden, but, no, that\u2019s not how any of this works.\u201d<\/p>\n What do you think of the idea of Colbert \u201csaving\u201d PBS with a new show?<\/p>\n Read the latest entertainment news on TV Insider<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n