‘Chappelle’s Show’ Production Halted

A day after pitching its new lineup to TV advertisers in New York, Viacom Inc.’s Comedy Central abruptly announced it had suspended production on the third season of “Chappelle’s Show,” a popular variety and sketch series starring comic Dave Chappelle.

The May 31 premiere has been scrapped, and the network is looking at other programs to fill Chappelle’s 10 p.m. slot.

An e-mail sent to reporters Wednesday afternoon offered no reason for the delay.

But sources said Comedy Central took the unusual step after growing concerned about whether Chappelle could complete the season’s 10 episodes. The comic, who co-writes much of the series, recently complained of exhaustion and unexpectedly took time off, sources said.