What a miserable day for TV fans. Community has been cancelled over on NBC (along with Revolution, Believe, Crisis and Growing Up Fisher, though none of those are huge losses), and ABC has been merrily swinging the cancellation axe all day long. Though the bloodbath may not be over yet, we can report that Suburgatory, Trophy Wife, Mixology, Super Fun Night and The Neighbors are all down and out.
None of the five comedies were huge ratings successes, though low-rated veterans Suburgatory and The Neighbors had better shots at eking out renewals than struggling freshmen Trophy Wife, Mixology and Super Fun Night, mostly because they’ve been with ABC longer. But as it turns out, the network was not in a generous mood.
Suburgatory, a critically acclaimed but scarcely watched comedy, centered on a teenage girl (Jane Levy) who moves from the big city to the suburbs with her father (Jeremy Sisto).
Trophy Wife, which starred Malin Akerman, was well-regarded by critics but only ever built a small fanbase. The show, about a man (Bradley Whitford) his much younger wife (Akerman), his two ex-wives (Marcia Gay Harden and Michaela Watkins) and their children, had dim prospects from the outset, and a steady decline in the ratings certainly didn’t help matters.
Mixology, a mid-season replacement and one of the most ambitious ABC comedies in recent memory, was set over one night at a bar. It drew warm reviews but hardly any viewers.
Super Fun Night, which hoped to draw in the fans that star Rebel Wilson accumulated in Pitch Perfect, was pretty much a non-starter in the ratings and never gained much traction with viewers. The show’s cancellation doesn’t come as a surprise.
Finally, The Neighbors, about aliens in suburbia, never drew much of a crowd. Its survival at last year’s May upfronts was a huge surprise, and a creatively improved second season didn’t do much to boost the ratings.
ABC evidently has confidence in its newly ordered comedies (and in its Marvel shows, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the recently ordered Agent Carter), and didn’t feel that any of the shows had warranted additional seasons.
Will you miss any of them? Sound off below!