It was not Joe Bob Briggs‘ decision to bring “The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs” to an end last week, nor did Shudder directly tell him why the series was getting the axe, but the horror host was lifted up by his devoted fanbase.
“It’s very sad for the eight years I spent with all the people involved with ‘The Last Drive-In,’” Briggs tells Variety. “But I have to say, I’ve been around TV for many, many years, and I’ve been canceled before. This was the most joyous cancellation I ever had, because as soon as people knew about it, the phones lit up, the e-mail inbox filled up.”
Viewers still have four new specials to look forward to this year on Shudder. The previously announced Walpurgisnacht double feature Joe Bob’s Wicked Witchy Wingding on April 24 will be followed by a summer special featuring “a title I’ve been trying to get on the air for 30 years” along with Halloween and Christmas episodes.
Beyond that, of course, the drive-in will never die. “We had actually thought that we had the show placed with another company,” Briggs reveals. “But when the word got out about the cancellation, other people called. So we may do it in a different way, of somehow preserving ‘The Last Drive-In’ without using the name ‘Last Drive-In.’”
He continues, “I’m grateful to Shudder for firing me at the height of the show’s popularity, because it actually frees me up to do quite a few things that would have been impossible if I continued the workload of that show and the contractual obligations I had.”
Among those include more live engagements, writing projects he’s had in various stages of development and reprinting, and producing his own movies!
“I had been developing a horror production company for a while,” Briggs says. “My old friend Bob Bernie at Picturehouse said he wants to do it. Now, we’re signing the final papers for it. We have a production slate. We have projects to make, and I’ll be able to spend time on that.”
Whatever the future holds, Briggs will be bringing along his loyal co-host, Darcy the Mail Girl.
“There’s a natural conflict and playfulness that goes on,” Briggs says. “But also she’s one of the brains behind the show. She suggests topics that we do, movies that we do, guests that we have. And a lot of times it’s something that I wouldn’t have come up with on my own if she hadn’t told me. She’s seen more movies than I have. She would definitely be involved with anything I do moving forward.”
Despite its abrupt end, Briggs looks back at “The Last Drive-In” with great affection. “I can’t thank Shudder enough. They propelled me into the forefront of the horror world,” he says.
“The closeness to the fans was just incredible,” Briggs adds. “We raised $1 million for the charities that we support at Christmas. Everything about the show was wonderful, so I don’t have any complaints.”
Across seven seasons and numerous specials beginning in 2018, Briggs and Darcy hosted over 200 movies on Shudder.
