‘America’s Next Top Model’ to End After This Season

Whitney Friedlander/Variety:

Tyra Banks ‘ reality competition series “America’s Next Top Model” will end its run after 12 years and 22 seasons spread between two networks, the CW confirmed Wednesday.

The series finale is set for Dec. 4. CW said it was in talks to assemble a retrospective special targeted to air late next year.

Banks has hosted and exec produced “ANTM” with Ken Mok since it premiered in May 2003 on UPN. She broke the news about “ANTM” via Twitter.

“Thinking #ANTM22 should be our last cycle,” Banks wrote. “I truly believe it’s time. May your pics be forever fierce. Keep on Smizing!”

At the height of its game, “Top Model” was one of UPN’s top-rated programs. It was the first program to air on the CW in its September 2006 debut, following the merger of UPN and the CW. In addition to giving exposure to fashion-industry insiders like Janice Dickinson, Twiggy and Nigel Barker by making them judges, it also launched the careers of model/reality TV star Adrianne Curry, actress Analeigh Tipton and others who have had success on and off the runways.

Airing Wednesdays from 2004 to 2009 before cooling off, CW moved “Top Model” to Fridays nights for the first time in 2012 and it’s mostly aired there since. Its current cycle aired for a couple of months this summer on Wednesday before moving to Friday two weeks ago. At present it’s averaging about 1.25 million viewers in Nielsen’s live-plus-same day ratings.

Banks, the former supermodel, has tackled other TV projects during the run of “ANTM.” Last month, she launched the lifestyle syndicated talk show “Fab Life” with Disney / ABC.

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The news comes amid the CW’s transition away from a tight focus on teen girls and young women to a slightly older demographic and superhero series like “The Flash” and “Arrow.” On Tuesday, CW announced that it was ending romance-focused procedural “Beauty and the Beast” after the show’s fourth season.

“’America’s Next Top Model’ was a successful franchise for two networks, first at UPN and then The CW, and it became not just a ratings hit, but a global pop culture phenomenon,” said CW president Mark Pedowitz. “I want to thank Tyra and Ken for all their years of success in establishing a show that was not just popular in the U.S., but all across the world.”

Rick Kissell contributed to this report.

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