'Dunham' is done: No second season for dummy and his puppets

Just when I thought Christmas was over, Comedy Central drops this big, bright package in my lap, as if to say "We've saved the best for last!"

The network, which never met a lowest common denominator it didn't pander to, announced yesterday it would not be renewing the putrid "Jeff Dunham Show" for a second season. This after the ventriloquist "comedian's" debut episode (only a scant few months ago) garnered the largest audience for a show's premiere in Comedy Central's history.

It would be easy to dismiss the network's quick 180 on the show as a simple admission that it is the most vile, unfunny, insulting half hour of television ever conceived. But c'mon -- this is the network that also gave us four seasons of "Crank Yankers."

Yes, it was universally panned by critics, and has landed on nearly every year-end "worst of" list. And yes, viewership did drop from the 5.6 million of its debut to an average 1.8 million of recent episodes, but that's still more than watch "The Daily Show." Comedy Central obviously had an incentive to keep this show on the air in spite of the fact that it's not funny, and the word "comedy" is in their name.

Just chalk this one up as one of the great mysteries of TV. Or do like me, and treasure for the Christmas miracle it is.

-- Adam Reinhard, areinhard@greenbaypressgazette.com