Heroes, Better Off Ted, and Ugly Betty are just a few of the TV shows that have been hit by network cancellations.
No year is complete without a few disappointments when certain TV shows fail to make it to the next season. Some of the shows cancelled this year have been around for multiple seasons, while many shows lasted only a few episodes. Here is a list of the TV programs that won’t be returning to television come fall:
- Better Off Ted: Although the ABC show was a critic’s darling, it never picked up a strong viewership among the public. The show recently aired its second season with all-time low ratings and will not be coming back this third time around.
- Ghost Whisperer: Ratings for this CBS show starring Jennifer Love Hewitt plummeted during its most recent season. The show’s only hope was to be picked up by ABC, but the network didn’t come through.
- Flashforward: ABC hyped up this show as the next Lost, flooding the market with promos and ads before it had even premiered. The show failed to live up to expectations, however, and was put on hiatus during the Olympics, which only made matters worse. Fans won’t be tuning in to a second season.
- Heroes: A slow decline in ratings has led this once hugely popular NBC show to get the boot despite making a star out of actress Hayden Panettiere.
- Melrose Place: CW resurrected this iconic prime time soap but could not keep it alive for long. Despite much advertisement and appearances by stars like Heather Locklear, the ratings proved too low to sign the show for a second season.
- The New Adventures of Old Christine: This NBC show starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus ran for five seasons, but was denied a sixth run. ABC was interested in the long-running show, but failed to pick it up.
- Ugly Betty: Although the show was a huge hit when it first premiered, seasons three and four of the show have been on the decline, which was enough for ABC to pull the plug on a fifth season.
- 10 Things I Hate About You: This ABC Family show was based on the movie of the same name. The movie garnered success, in part because of its cast of young rising stars including Heath Ledger. The TV remake, however, fell flat and will not be returning for a third season.
- The Beautiful Life: This CW show about aspiring models never had a chance to hit its stride on the runway. Mischa Barton’s personal ups and downs received more coverage than the actual show, which only aired two episodes before being cancelled.
- Eastwick: This ABC show was based on the film, The Witches of Eastwick which starred Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer. The TV show never met the success of the movie and was scrapped before season 1 could even finish.
Copyright Laura Picklesimer. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
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