CNBC allegedly canceled the Jay Leno’s Garage TV series, according to an unnamed source from the network speaking to The Hollywood Reporter. Motor1.com reached out to CNBC for confirmation of this report.
To be clear, there’s no indication that the TV show’s cancellation has any effect on the long-running Jay Leno’s Garage YouTube channel. Leno continues to post weekly videos there where he drives various new and classic cars.
Jay Leno’s Garage first aired on CNBC as a special in 2014. Before that, the show was an NBC.com web series. In 2015, it became a regular series on the network. Since then, there have been seven seasons of episodes.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the decision to cancel Jay Leno’s Garage comes as part of a larger strategy shift in strategy at the network. During primetime, it intends to focus on reruns of Shark Tank and Undercover Boss and showing original business documentaries.
During the TV show’s run, Leno had some big guests. During the second season, Joe Biden was a guest while he was Vice President, and he returned as President during season seven. George W. Bush came onto the program for a segment in season three.
The TV show was a bit different than the YouTube series. The online version generally focuses on one vehicle and often includes the owner to provide some personal context about the machine. Then, Leno and the guest go for a ride. The CNBC program added some more action to this recipe by including segments with drag racing or other stunts.
Leno has had a relationship with NBC since taking over The Tonight Show in 1992. As host, he would occasionally highlight his automotive enthusiasm and some of the interesting vehicles in his collection. However, the Jay Leno’s Garage YouTube series and later TV show really showed viewers the breadth of the machines that he had accumulated.
In November, Leno suffered burns to his face and hands when there was a gasoline fire on a car he was working on. He spent time in the hospital but had a successful recovery.
