The Food Network has announced production of Emeril Live will end December 11, after 10 years on the air. A statement from a network publicist says Chef Emeril Lagasse will remain under contract. “We love him, we support him and look forward to a long partnership with him.”
When asked by The Associated Press why the show is being cancelled, the publicist said, “The only reason would be that it hit a ton of television milestones and, you know, all good things come to an end.”
Lagasse said, in a statement, “I am deeply appreciative to all the unbelievable staff — many who have been with the show since the beginning — and all the loyal viewers, and the many talented guests who have appeared on the show through the years.” His programs will continue in reruns.
Nobody should be surprised by this. The Food Network has been dumbing down for a couple years and recent “all-star” holiday programming has excluded Lagasse. It’s a different network than it was when his phenomenal popularity put it on the map. Now, the emphasis is on entertainment, not cooking. His style always bothered me, but compared with the Network’s current darlings, such as the braying Paula Deen who actually fried butter and posted the recipe, he is as stolid as a Harvard professor.
The publicist is right about good things coming to an end. In this case, it’s a network anyone serious about cooking can care about.
Related: The Network That Emeril Built
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s a very sad day for the Food Network. I saw the writing on the wall when I watched “Who wants to be the next Food Network Star” and NONE of them were trained chef’s. Sad. Another good idea gone south, as another blogger put it: “The FN is going the way of MTV more entertainment than good cooking and food”
Sad indeed. The Food Network doesn’t hide the fact that it’s about entertainment now — and cleavage. Business Week saw the MTV writing on the wall almost a year ago:
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/IsFoodNetworkTheNewMTV.aspx
Is there are a reason other than Alton Brown to watch the Food Network?
Good Eats is a masterpiece, but honestly, besides the hokey nature of the Japanese import known as Iron Chef, I never watched anything else.
Now, the TLC and Discovery chef shows always had me fascinated wondering how I could replicated something as close as possible.
Pax,
MLO
Unbelievable … or not. I, like most of you I’m sure, have been watching Food Network since the beginning. The trend has been glaringly dumbed down for the past few years.
IMO, getting rid of all the chefs in lieu of entertainers and home cooks who further the regression by showing us how many ways to make a meal with canned soup and salad dressing is just so wrong.
That said, I don’t represent the masses and I expect I will be seeing it continue on the downward spiral until it is just another reality show. Now THAT’S what sells! (gack)
@MLO – Sometimes even AB can be a little too cutesy or condescending for my taste. Yes, those other channels do have good shows, some of which started on the Food Network. When it was about food.
And don’t forget PBS!
@chickenbutt – I’m afraid you’re right; ratings rule and if the can opener queens weren’t getting ratings they’d either be relegated to the off hours, like Ina Garten, or off the air altogether.
Love your avatar, btw.
Thanks, Ella!
Well, as I see it, the worst of it is that there is no return. After the Food Network becomes nothing but the can opener queens (LOVE that!), and the nearly as ridiculous sideline entertainment, it will never again attract REAL chef talent.
The very few that are left are paying the price, unfortunately, and will likely move on to more integrous pastures.
But hey! The good news is … I perceive the possibility of one of the other networks being re-populated with the cast offs of the FN and more real chef action in our future after all.
(crossing fingers)
I’ll cross mine with you. The other night I couldn’t sleep and was channel surfing around 3 or 4 AM and who did I run across on FN but Wolfgang Puck. I had no idea they still re-run his old show. Buried. Insomniacs’ corner. Sigh.
The Fine Living Channel is putting on some nice food shows like NapaStyle. I start my day out on food network to see who they are having on, but usually end up going to Discovery Home or Fine Living.
I hated cooking until the bam man
I didn’t know he was leaving until now. not happy.
not happy.
how do you make tears in text speak.
I am sosososo sad, I have learned so much from Emeril and love that he has such great food and expressions….I am into learning not reality junk. I have watched the food network for many years and you all are right, its going to the same junk that is on the main networks… yukkkkk… I think they should start another channel with real cooking shows, and lets see which one rules……
Bless you Emeril..
@ Trixie – I don’t watch Fine Living but there are some interesting-sounding shows there. It’s owned by the Food Network, you know.
@dissfunktional – Awww…he’ll still be around. In reruns. And he’s still on GMA. I think he turned a lot of people on to cooking and his fan base built that network. Fact.
@Barbie – They just aren’t interested in real chefs anymore and the few who remain (Flay, Irvine) are stuck with silly competitions, not cooking shows. The network isn’t about cooking or even food anymore – it’s lifestyle and entertainment.
lookie what I just found!
http://foodtube.net/
it’s not Emeril, but it’s cool. “Find a Video Recipe, or Add Your Own”
I was shopping for televisions and ran across this site in the process. Kewl!
Has anyone noticed that the braying Paula Deen’s accent has become more pronounced over the last couple of years? I am not a big fan of Emeril either – I want to see cooking not theatrics. Give me Jacques Pepin or Ina Garten or reruns of Julia. I can do without tablescapes and y’all and 15 lbs of butter in every bite.
@dissfunktional – That is way cool! Thank you. I’ll defintely explore it. (There’s a lot of Julia at YouTube.)
@Veronica – I believe we might have been separated at birth. With you on every word, along with — I can do without purported 30-minute meals that take longer than that; the camera might never lie but it (and editors) can cheat. I can also do without those same meals costing an arm and a leg when you add in the cost of fresh herbs, often $8 -12 per dish, chef’s trim chicken breast at twice the price and the Gidget-diseased baby talk and giggling.
And don’t even get me started on the tablescape chick with her onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup. Blech.
dear emeril im very sad to see your show has been cancelled whoever did this should reallytake along hard look at the rest of the cooking shows on the air you are the best by far emeril from one of you biggest fans .” emeril we love u.”
SO VERY SORRY TO HEAR THE END OF EMERIL. I FEEL IN THE LONG RUN THE NETWORKS ARE CUTTING OFF THEIR NOSES TO SPITE THEIR FACES. EMERIL AND HIS STYLE WILL BE VERY SADLY MISSED.
Thank you, Loretta and Marie for your comments. I know you’re not alone in your disappointment.
Buried deep in the Food Network site is a contact form to express your opinion. If you’d like to use it, you can find it here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/about_us/text/0,1904,FOOD_9777_62448,00.html
Thanks again for stopping by.
That fried butter recipe is one of the most horrifying things I have seen in a long time. I don’t have cable these days, and it looks like I’m not missing much (other than John Stewart and Stephan Colbert, that is.)
Isn’t that ghastly? And she still has her coterie of fans. Go figure.
Colbert’s everywhere on line – from HuffPo to YouTube. Good for you for breaking away from cable. I wish I could, but it’s my connection to the internets.
We all miss see you on the food network
You can still see Emeril on the Fine Living Channel and on Planet Green, which is part of the Discovery Network.