The afternoon talk show “Intentional Talk” will continue airing on MLB Network after the program was slated for cancelation earlier in the postseason, Sports Media Watch has confirmed.
The program was supposed to air its final episode on Wednesday, but will instead continue following widespread support from fans and players, as reported by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic just hours before the season finale. Kevin Millar, Ryan Dempster and Siera Santos will remain as hosts, extending their tenure working together beyond four seasons. Marchand specifically attributed the decision being reversed to a change of heart by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, deputy commissioner of business/media Noah Garden and other executives.
The show aired its final episode until next season on Wednesday, during which Millar, Dempster and Santos addressed the decision. “We are back, we’re super excited to be back,” Millar said. Dempster described the return as a “huge testament to everybody involved to take a step back and go, ‘Wait a sec’ — and I thought this was great — ‘Is the network better with Intentional Talk on the air?’ You’re darn right it is.”
It is rare in sports television for a network to so quickly reverse the cancellation of a show. ESPN canceled “The Sports Reporters” and brought it back years later as a digital show. Some shows that aired on one network — for example, “NBA Inside Stuff” — were revived years later on another. But for a network to completely abandon a cancellation decision is unusual.
The program was recently on site for the 2026 World Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays, broadcasting episodes from the ballpark ahead of the championship matchup. “The amount of people that came up and approached us at the World Series was incredibly overwhelming,” Santos said. “We can’t thank you enough for your support — even from retired players, like Ken Griffey Jr. It all goes to show that really — and this sounds so terrible coming off an election, right – but your voice does matter, and people do listen, so if you really love something, don’t stop advocating for it.”
“Intentional Talk” debuted in 2011 with Millar alongside co-host Chris Rose, forming a duo which worked together for a decade. Stephen Nelson worked with Millar for two years beginning in 2021 before the program entered its current iteration with Millar, Dempster and Santos. The show aired daily on ESPN2 in 2017 and 2018.
In its initial statement last month regarding the then-final episode, MLB Network said the program has been an “institution for 16 seasons, showcasing baseball’s great personalities and laugh-out-loud moments to generations of fans.”
MLB Network has canceled other daily talk shows in the last few seasons, among them “High Heat” with Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo and “Off Base,” although the latter became a weekly podcast for the 2025 season. The network continues to air other studio programs throughout the offseason, including “Hot Stove” and “MLB Tonight.”
