As soon as ESPN announced that it was canceling Around the Horn, the big question was what it would fill the 5:00-5:30 p.m. ET timeslot with.
The Worldwide Leader reportedly negotiated with Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon to extend Pardon the Interruption but that never came to fruition. The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that the network considered filling the gap with a Shannon Sharpe-led show before he took a hiatus over sexual assault allegations.
In the end, ESPN is going with a tried-and-true program to fill the timeslot. As first noted by The Hollywood Reporter and shared by Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel on Sunday, a half-hour SportsCenter primarliy hosted by Matt Barrie and Christine Williamson will take the 5:00 p.m. spot. That anchor duo will also continue to host the 2:00 p.m. edition of SportsCenter as well.
Glasspiegel noted that “plans are fluid as far as how long SportsCenter will air in the 5:00 time slot, but it will be at least several months before ESPN develops a new concept.”
ESPN said goodbye to Around the Horn on Friday after 23 years, creating a rare void in its late afternoon programming schedule.
Barrie, who signed an extension with ESPN in March, has been with the company since 2013, hosting SportsCenter along with his studio and game-calling roles in college football coverage and TGL golf play-by-play.
Williamson joined ESPN in 2019 and along with SportsCenter, hosts various shows on ESPN’s digital platforms, including SC on Snap, Countdown to GameDay, and Hoop Streams. She was also among the many panelists onAround the Horn.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.