Wanda Sykes staying up late at FOX

Zap2It.com | April 1, 2009

Wanda Sykes

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The comic is working on a late-night deal at the network

Comedian Wanda Sykes is getting a late-night show at FOX, filling the void that will be left when "MadTV" ends.

Sykes, who currently co-stars on CBS' "The New Adventures of Old Christine," will launch her show in the fall. It will air at 11 p.m. ET on Saturdays, taking over the spot currently occupied by "MadTV," which is in its final season.

"Wanda is a great alternative voice to the current late-night landscape," FOX Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly says. "She has the perfect personality for FOX, and we look forward to reinvigorating Saturday-night TV with her."

What the new show might mean for the network's other late-Saturday offering, "Talkshow with Spike Feresten," is unclear. Feresten's show, which airs at midnight, got a trial run in the 11 p.m. slot earlier this season, but its fate for 2009-10 is still undetermined.

Sykes' show won't be a typical desk-and-couch talk show -- instead, FOX says, it will be a panel show along the lines of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" that will feature "biting commentary on topical issues and heated panel discussions with recurring personalities." She'll also do taped pieces.

Sykes starred in the FOX sitcom "Wanda at Large," which had a brief run in 2003. Her credits also include a recurring part on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Evan Almighty" and "Monster-in-Law."