Murphy Brown, Life in Pieces, and Two More Canceled at CBS
Paul Dailly
at
.
It's a sad day to be a fan of the more marginally rated comedies on CBS.
The network has canceled four series ahead of upfronts.
Murphy Brown was revived back on the heels of the eye-popping ratings Roseanne pulled in for ABC.
But CBS failed to realize that Murphy Brown was never as popular as the ABC classic, and viewers did not show up in their droves.
Related: The Rookie, Bless This Mess, and Three More Renewed at ABC
The Candice Bergen-fronted revival launched to a paltry 1.1 demo rating last fall. Over 13 episodes, it averaged just 6.1 million total viewers and a 0.8 rating in the demo.
Not even bringing back original stars Joe Regalbuto (Frank Fontana), Faith Ford (Corky Sherwood) and Grant Shaud (Miles Silverberg) could save the show.
When CBS opted to not order more episodes for the first season, it became apparent that the network was done with the show.
It was an experiment that did not resonate with viewers.
Happy Together, starring Damon Wayans Jr. felt like the type of show that would have been a hit if it aired back when One Direction were a thing.
It failed to hold on to much of the ratings from fellow newbie The Neighborhood was turning in. It averaged 4.6 million viewers and a 0.9 rating.
It did hold up post-premiere, but the ratings were not enough to keep it on the air beyond those initial 13 episodes.
Related: Speechless, Splitting Up Together Canceled at ABC
Then there was Fam. It had The Vampire Diaries grad Nina Dobrev in the lead role, but failed to get viewers to tune in.
Launching at midseason the show averaged just 5.6 million viewers and a 0.9 rating, making it a weak link on Thursdays.
Finally, and perhaps the most frustrating cancellation, Life in Pieces. Fans waited almost a year for the popular comedy to return for its long-delayed fourth season.
Given that CBS did not own it, the network did not feel the need to rush it back to the air. It is currently averaging 5.8 million total viewers and a 0.8 rating.
Many thought the fact that it was older and probably more reliable than some of the freshman comedies that it would return.
But CBS thought otherwise and the current fourth season will be its last.
What are your thoughts on these cancellations?
Hit the comments below.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
