Bill Simmons is getting less, not more, camera time on his own HBO talk show.

As an online journalist, I’m rooting for Simmons to make it on TV, but I’m sad to say his “Any Given Wednesday” could turn into the biggest flop since, well, HBO’s “Joe Buck Live.”

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In the latest bad sign, Simmons delivered his signature opening monologue off-camera on Wednesday’s night’s Episode 6.

Uh-oh. It could be minor. Or it could be major.

But that's usually a sign the talent is uncomfortable on the air, or that the show-runners don't think the person is good on TV.

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During the first couple of episodes, a man-spreading Simmons delivered his opening take sitting down in his Bro-Cave studio in Los Angeles. Then he tried standing up for a few episodes.

This week he provide a voiceover. I wouldn't be surprised to see the segment dropped completely over the next couple weeks.

I understand that Simmons and his producers are tinkering with the format, trying new things, but shrinking camera time is rarely a good thing for any budding TV star.

Remember CBS Sports’ failed NFL rules analyst Mike Carey? With Carey struggling on the air, CBS tried switching him to voice-only for some games. That didn’t work, either. The network finally dropped him. Ditto for Rick Reilly and ESPN.

DECOURCY: Simmons' USA Basketball argument falls flat

In 2007, ESPN convinced Reilly to leave Sports Illustrated’s back-page column for what the writer modestly admitted was a “ridonkulous” contract rumored to be $3 million per year. With great fanfare, ESPN gave Reilly his own show, “Homecoming,” in 2009.

ESPN executives soon realized Reilly stunk on the air. His appearances on NFL telecasts and golf tournaments dwindled.

Reilly got so desperate that he begged the late, great Stuart Scott to credit him for a tweet about an injury to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Reilly is now in ESPN’s Witness Protection Program.

Simmons can run, but he can’t hide.

He's the executive producer of "Any Given Wednesday." It's his reputation — and his nascent media empire — on the line. If he’s getting less camera time on his own show, people will start to notice.

Simmons’ wooden delivery is one problem, but the opening monologue hasn’t been very funny since Day 1, either.

That’s not Simmons’ fault. He’s a columnist and podcaster, not a stand-up comedian. I’m sure the jokes written by his comedy writers kill — on paper — but he rushes through his points and punch lines. He doesn't have good timing. The whole thing falls flat.

Don’t get me started on Simmons’ attempt at sketch comedy with his Deflategate “trial."

Nobody cares about Deflategate anymore, but Simmons and everybody involved seem to think this was laugh-out-loud, “Saturday Night Live”-worthy stuff.

Please.

Again, Simmons is a columnist, not a TV pro. It’s natural for him to be uncomfortable on the air as he transitions into this new role. But he’s even having issues on what’s supposed to the strength of the show: the guest interview segments.

During his podcasts, Simmons is great at getting guests to open up and share stories they haven’t talked about in other media. That talent hasn’t translated to his TV show.

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He has wasted great guests such as Charles Barkley by engaging in "debates" about whether LeBron James is one of the top three NBA players of all time. That's sports talk radio 101 kind of stuff.

Even worse, Simmons is becoming the type of interviewer he rips: fawning, non-confrontational and more likely to kiss a guest’s ass than ask a tough question.

Remember when Simmons mocked ex-ESPN colleagues Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic for their softball interview with Louisville coach Rick Pitino?

I hope Rick Pitino can recover from that vicious grilling that Mike and Mike gave him today. — Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) March 15, 2016

"Hey Rick, your program used hookers to recruit teenagers and you're saying you're not accountable - so, um, who's winning the tournament?" — Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) March 15, 2016

Simmons is learning it’s a different story when it’s your show.

He gave Mavericks owner Mark Cuban the equivalent of a back massage by listing all the wonderful things he has done for his players. What a difference, cooed Simmons, from the other “old white guys” owning NBA teams.

“Not to blow smoke up your ass, but I don’t think you get enough credit,” Simmons told Cuban.

Not exactly a “60 Minutes” grilling there.

As The Big Lead noted, Simmons whiffed on asking Chris Bosh about his medical condition and Aaron Rodgers about his brother Jordan’s comments on ABC’s “The Bachelor” that there was a rift between the siblings.

Simmons later noted on his podcast that Bosh requested he not be asked about his medical condition. Simmons agreed, saying it would be “bad TV” to have Bosh mumble a no-comment. Wrong. It would have been good TV.

Isn’t that why Simmons mocked "Mike & Mike"? That they punked out with Pitino?

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Look, there’s always a back-and-forth between stars and producers over what questions the stars will and won’t answer. Simmons the TV host should not duck topics Simmons the columnist would tackle for his readers.

If he's not shying away from tough questions, Simmons is indulging his Malibu buddies like Ben Affleck. As one reviewer said, the ranting Affleck came off like the guy in the Tom Brady jersey at the end of the bar who won't give it up.

So much for Simmons being the voice of the fan. If he's is not careful, he's going come off as entitled and self-absorbed as the billionaire owners he has ripped for years.

HBO is paying Simmons an estimated $20 million over three years. So far, ratings have been tiny for “Any Given Wednesday,” according to @SportsTVRatings.

Any Given Wednesday update (lead-in more important than guests): pic.twitter.com/rKDADs2oCb — Sports TV Ratings (@SportsTVRatings) August 4, 2016

His show is being largely panned by critics.

Brian Lowry of CNN called the premiere "a minor-league product." Time's Daniel D'Addario said it "makes sports and popular culture feel like a slog." Sean Keeley of Awful Announcing said Simmons has to let go of the Boston shtick. Keeley's colleague Jim Weber wrote that the show's problem is that it is just Simmons' "columns and podcasts with video." Ty Duffy of The Big Lead wrote Simmons is simply "not that charismatic on television."

And Evan Grossman of the New York Daily News said the former "rebel" has become an in-house "HBO cheerleader," interviewing other HBO talent such as Danny McBride of "Vice Principals" and Michael K. Williams of "The Night Of." Wrote Grossman:

Simmons was somehow touted as a defiant hero when he was fired from ESPN and scooped up by HBO’s pirate ship of rebels, but through five episodes of “Any Given Wednesday,” the creator of Grantland and the “30 for 30” documentary series has become HBO’s version of Andy Cohen, interviewing stars in a weird cross-promotional lounge for other HBO shows similar to Cohen’s “Housewives” reunions on Bravo. Imagine Simmons, when he was at ESPN, having Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith on his podcast to promote “First Take.” Or assigning a Grantland oral history of “Outside the Lines.” Never in a million years, right? Well, all the money HBO threw at Simmons seems to have changed him, because through five weeks we sure have gotten a lot of native advertising.

The Sports Guy may not realize the bar has been moved.

He is not being critically compared to Stephen A. Smith or Ron Jaworski any more. His new benchmarks are fellow HBO stars John Oliver and Bill Maher. For the kind of money he's making, HBO expects Simmons to eventually deliver the kind of audiences and social media buzz those two do for the network.

Look, Simmons is still hugely popular. And talented. This is the same guy who built Grantland and ESPN's "30 for" 30 documentary series. NFL season is coming up. He has time to right the ship.

But if he thinks he’s going to mail it in on TV, then he's in for a big surprise.

If he fails on HBO, that tin can could be hung around his neck for the rest of his career. It could also damage The Ringer and his other enterprises.

Rick Reilly tried to rest on his laurels at ESPN, with corny jokes and rewrites of old SI columns. Look what happened to him.

One other thing to remember: Michael Lombardo, the HBO executive who signed Simmons, is gone. ESPN's former Bad Boy is now on his own. He can't rely on John Skipper or John Walsh to protect him.

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Bottom line: Simmons needs to start taking this TV gig seriously.

Wake up, Bill. It’s later than you think.

UPDATE: HBO responded to our Bill Simmons column by stating "Any Given Wednesday" drew 247,000 viewers Wednesday night in its 10 p.m. ET time slot. That was the show's second-largest viewership since 362,000 for Cuban and Malcolm Gladwell in Episode 2, according to an HBO spokesman.

The show is averaging a total of 2.4 million weekly views across all platforms, he said, including TV airings, DVR playbacks and HBO Go. By comparison, Maher averages 4.4 million.

"Bill is an authentic and unique voice. He is building a connection to the HBO subscriber base. We are excited to see the show unfold in the coming weeks and months," stated the spokesman.