“Larry’s Country Diner” Ceases Production of New Episodes

This story has been updated.

Beloved RFD-TV country music television show Larry’s Country Diner is not going off the air. But it will not longer be producing new episodes, or at least that appears to be the case for the moment. After 14 seasons and 363 episodes, the latest season ended by airing two special tributes to the show on November 10th and November 17th. Now the many fans of the show are remembering the many artists and performances they enjoyed, and perhaps hoping for a return at some point.

After rumors swirled that the show was going away entirely, Larry Black recently posted a video saying, “I need to clear up a misconception. There is this rumor out there that the show has ended. Well, it’s ended, but it hasn’t ended. We have 363 shows, and for the next Lord knows how many years, we will continue to do ‘Larry’s Country Diner’ right here same time every week, same station. Don’t go away, we’re still here.”

Set in a diner setting, Larry’s Country Diner has featured legendary country artists such as Bill Anderson, Gene Watson, Larry Gatlin, Rhonda Vincent, and T.G. Sheppard. Artist perform multiple songs, and are interviewed by long-time DJ Larry Black from the diner counter with a dish rag slung over his shoulder. Larry Black was also the owner of the show. The RFD-TV program also became an important outlet for up-and-coming artists with a more traditional country sound such as Mo Pitney, The Church Sisters, The Malpass Brothers, and more.

Larry’s Country Diner features a recurring cast, including announcer Keith Bilbrey, the Church Lady Nadine, Renae “The Waitress” Johnson, and for many years, guitarist Jimmy Capps, or “The Man in Back,” who was a member of the Grand Ole Opry’s house band, and passed away in 2020. Jimmy played “The Sheriff” on Larry’s Country Diner, and performed with the musical guests.

The show had filmed from numerous locations over the years. Though plans were hatched to launch an actual diner based around the show in 2015 where the show would also air, they were put on hold after Larry was injured in an ATV accident, and the project became too expensive. Most recently the show was taping at the CabaRay theater in Nashville owned by Ray Stevens, and at Roy Feek’s production studio in Columbia, TN. Ray Stevens was the official final performer on the show when the last original episode aired on October 27th.

Though the show will no longer be producing new episodes at the moment, they have begun uploading many of the old performances from the show onto YouTube—something the production had only done in a limited capacity previously. This has made Larry’s Country Diner accessible to a new generation of viewers, and to those without access to cable. The YouTube activity had helped stimulate renewed interest in the show.

Saving Country Music has reached out to RFD-TV for more information about future plans for Larry’s Country Diner, but they did not return emails. Full episodes are available to stream via a subscription to Country Road on larryscountrydiner.com.


© 2023 Saving Country Music