Image Credit: Fox
UPDATED: Fringe got off easy. Fox is brutally clear-cutting under-performing shows from its lineup, cancelling three four five series tonight in order to make room for new shows next fall: Human Target was shot down for a third season, Christian Slater is now 0 for 3 as a TV series lead because Breaking In was dumped, The Chicago Code and Lie to Me were just taken out and Traffic Light was switched off. The moves represent an aggressive stance by Fox, which is declining to sink any further investment in modestly performing titles and opting to gamble on fresh shows instead.
Human Target was finally axed after undergoing a trip back to the drawing board. Though the show was considerably revamped for this season, the actioner struggled to gain ground in the ratings. Target averaged 7.6 million viewers and a 2.2 rating in adults 18-49 this season, including DVR use, but was down from its first season average of 2.9. Lie to Me is also gone — it averaged exactly the same as Target, and dropped the same amount from last season.
Fox also pink-slipped Breaking In, the freshman comedy about a security team that starred Slater. The show averaged a healthy 2.9 in the ratings due to a strong premiere, but more recent episodes fell off considerably despite following American Idol.
Fellow post-Idol freshman straggler Traffic Light is also gone — no surprise there.
And bummer for Jennifer Beals: Her freshman cop drama The Chicago Code was also cancelled. Creator Shawn Ryan retweeted the news and wrote: “Dammit.”
The cancellations came at the same time as Fox handed out series orders to Bones spin-off The Finder and to J.J. Abrams’ new prison mystery drama Alcatraz, while declining to pick up several high-profile other pilots. The network also greenlit two new comedies starring Zooey Deschanel and Jaime Pressly. Follow me on Twitter @james_hibberd.
I hope FOX brings “Lie to me” back! I love that show so much!!!
Agreed!
Lie To Me is terrible it belongs on CBS or something where old & stupid people can watch it.
Definitely bring lie to me back!
well if you can read it states in the title that it got canceled
Clearly “stupid” people can also post on this site, as evidenced by your comment… and yes, I am old.
fox is getting smart
Yes, Human Target sooo much better, cause gosh! how I hate it when they make me think.
Or in Lie to Me’s case: make me watch.
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—-Not surprised about Traffic Light, but am pretty bummed. I actually liked that show a lot. It had a good cast and was pretty funny! Shame
The first season alone was worth watching – the revamped second season was garbage – they dropped the interesting storyline and buildup of the “old man” and brought us Ilsa Pucci who had to have everything expalined to her – I liked it when everything was low key and the romance was a joke. The show deserved to be cancelled in its current form
The original article was updated but the early comments reflect when Lie to Me was yet to be canceled.
Booo! Bummed about Lie to Me.
Long live Lightman! Long live Lightman!
TRAFFIC LIGHT was hilarious! Under-appreciated and under-valued. The kind of show that could’ve really blossemed in time had it been given a chance. They better not cancel BETTER WITH YOU now on ABC or I’ll be really mad.
Not surprised about Traffic Light, but am pretty bummed. I actually liked that show a lot. It had a good cast and was pretty funny! Shame!
Whoever canceled Traffic Light is a huge Bonebag.
Fringe is great and so was Human Target. Whats anyones problem with them?
This show was the funniest on tv right now. I was just recommending it to my brother and sister-in-law. Incredible chemistry with the cast. How could this not have clicked? Oh, America…
based on the numbers above….why is 30 rock still always renewed….nothing against it….just makes no sense….give a show a month atleast jeez!
30 Rock is on NBC.
These shows are on Fox.
Different networks.
Because 30 Rock performs well enough for NBC. Plus, it brings in a lot of prestige and awards.
and doesn’t give anything a chance
they dumped sarah connor chronicles against MNF and then Friday nights; not a good way to try to get a show going again after the writer’s strike! Now wonder it had lots of DVR viewers with MNF and Fri night.
More like: why is “Fringe” renewed?
yes. why was Fringe renewed? ratings are falling on a weekly basis
NBC has three hours to fill every night. Fox only has two, minus the hours swallowed up by American Idol when it’s running. They don’t have space for this sort of steady but barely profitable show.
FRINGE is quality TV, plus the Fox execs love it. Yippee !
Given these cancellations, though, Fringe got awfully lucky.
From the same network that marketed Firefly inappropriately and then cancelled it and the aforementioned Sarah Conner, its an obvious history for FOX that they don’t wait for audience development which has worked for so many shows in the past. So many successes built their audiences over a couple seasons.
Bad acting though…often good story lines, but boring actors. Some seem to be reading a script! Chicago Code was great though…
I really like Chi. Code. Hate to see it axed. It wasn’t the typical procedural, which was why I liked it and probably why the Idolators didn’t.
Can someone just cancel FOX and put them out of our misery?!
Chi Code – should be put on f/x- it would be way cooler than it already is.
I really enjoy Lie to Me, Human Target and The Good Guys. I really can’t believe Fox is going to cancel these… and The Chicago Code… really?
Me too! (Has Good Guys officially been canceled, though? It’s not mentioned in the article but I know it was on shaky ground.)
Blue Blood is much better than the chicago code.
none of those shows had enough singing and dancing for FOX to entertain keeping them. F Idol
4. Cancel American Idol
3. and bring
2. back
1. HUMAN TARGET
Yes JAM… Cause the MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of ad dollars that Idol brings in should be shot down to bring back show that may dollar upon dollars of money.
I’m not saying I like Idol or it should stay, but ya know they are running a business
Human Target was good the first season – until they messed with it. Watched it once this season, the retooling did it no favors…….
I heard they cancelled The Good Guys a while now. I love Chicago Code and usually can’t wait to watch it. I also watch Human Target. I didn’t like Ilsa Pucci but I loved the show especially the lead and Chi McBride. I loved Lie to Me. I can’t believe this. And they’re going to bring new shows for us to start to love, then they’re going to ax? Well I have enough TV to watch so I won’t be watching the new ones.
Fox cancelled Human Target?? My DVR just cancelled FOX!
Sara, welcome to 2011. Good guys was cancelled a LOOOONG time ago.
It’s official now. “Lie To Me” is officially cancelled. Not surprising— Its ratings were lower than “Human Target”. So the only way it was staying was if it cost radically less to make than HT, and sorry, you don’t get top shelf actors like Tim Roth on the cheap.
It’s a shame. It got a bit ludicrous in the 3rd season, but the first two were solid.
Lie to me is a grand show yeah..
needs to bring back Terminator:The Sarah Connor Chronicles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There were three new FOX shows this year that I like:
Lone Star
Chicago Code
Bob’s Burgers
The two I liked the most (the first two) both got canceled.
Sigh…
I’m pretty sure you are the only person in the entire country that enjoyed Bob’s Burgers. I don’t know who the geniuses are at fox who think this is a good show. I know noone who watches it. I would rather watch reruns of The Oblongs than Bob’s Burgers.
Definitely agree with you on Lone Star. Two episodes – Two!! Screw you, FOX.
Bob’s Burgers is great. It seems like the whole thing is ad libbed.
“TODD
Fri 05/13/11 5:24 PM
Bob’s Burgers is great. It seems like the whole thing is ad libbed.”
This right here is the dumbest comment in the history of this site. An ad-libbed Cartoon? Seriously? There is nothing ad-libbed about any cartoon, it isn’t a movie or live action show & takes months to produce.
Once a show is gone, never see it again, move on…
re: family guy
Add Futurama to that list as well, sadie.
and Twin Peaks
and Taxi
Lie to Me sucks. Typical that Fox would keep that steaming load around while cancelling Chicago Code. I guess like Brad Garrett, they must have Tim Roth under a big contract that justifies keeping a horrible show on the airwaves.
SCREW FOX! These retards cancel anything that is actually good. Firefly for one. Hell they Cancelled Family Guy, twice. They Cancelled the Good Guys, first they removed it from FOX then alltogether cancelled it from FX. they need a friggin clue
Meh. I didn’t watch any of them…none appealed to me, just based on commercials and the actors in them. But, please let this mean the last time Christian Slater will be cast in a tv show. UGH, enough!!!
I actually really enjoyed him in Breaking In and love the support cast, especially the nerdy black guy.
OMG, the Finder? What are they thinking; Human Target and Lie to Me are way better than the Finder. It doesn’t seem like Fox ever, ever learns. Ever.
Yeh, I bet the Finder is going to the The Lost or Loser within 3 episodes. I saw it on Bones and while I like Duncan Clarke and the lead guy, I couldn’t handle Sasha Burrows. She was good in Boston Legal although I didn’t like her in Criminal Intent. But she was using a strong Irish accent or something and I couldn’t take how she was talking (not that I don’t like an Irish accent), but hers was sounding strange after hearing her speak without it in all her other shows. I’m not going to invest my time in it and I’m sure many others won’t. It won’t be on for long so why can’t they keep the shows they’ve already got, which the fans love? I’m disgusted with this news.
Seriously, The Finder is going to tank big time.
Lie to me was one of my favorite shows, why did they have to take it off, darn it.
i know right? I AM SO SAD NOW
I believe they said it was CANCELED!
why must the good shows always get cancelled?!?! i love lie to me! please don’t!
Whats wrong with them? They don’t give enough attention to most shows so no one watch them. And they wonder why they fail? Keep sucking Glee and American Idol.
TELL ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS TO BOYCOTT FOX!!!!!!!! THEY HAVE CANCELLED OUR FAVORITE SHOWS FOR THE LAST TIME!!!!! FOX SUCKS
BOYCOTT FOX!!! TELL ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS TO STOP WATCHING FOX! THEY SUCK ASS
Don’t Worry!
Since Human Target is now canceled, I have NOTHING to watch FOX for, except for NASCAR races….
ALL Reality Show are CRAP and so overdone. The cartoon shows are mostly revolting to me and CRAP also!
I’m so bummed they cancelled “Lie to Me”!!
Breaking In too? It was doing good in the ratings!
Damn, I LOVED Breaking In! And Chicago Code was really good too. Fox has just become the new ABC. Cretins pulling the plug too soon.
Absolutely! I took the time to get vested in Chicago Code and now this…Traffic Light was really great too…can some cable channel pick these up again since Fox can’t even recognize good programming when they got it?
Agreed. None of these upcoming shows even come close to grabbing my attention.
Wtf?! I thought Breaking In was doing good!!!
Fox sucks!
It sure seemed to be improving – really liked the Comic-Con episode last week.
Breaking In was hilarious! It was one of the few sitcoms where I had to keep rewinding my DVR to see things I’d missed cos I was laughing too hard to hear them the first time. They should move it to FX instead of cancelling it.
I was really enjoying “Breaking In” and I thought it was doing well, too. They didn’t even give it a chance. Christian Slater can’t seem to catch a break on TV.
Slater is more of a movie actor than a TV actor. I think some people want to see him do more movies and not get in any more ratings bombs on the TV end.
LOVE “Breaking In” and Christian Slater’s character. Not your ordinary, laugh track, predictable show. Guess that’s why it didn’t make it!
Here we go…”too smart for America” card
It’s used often because it’s true.
I’m ticked over this one! I loved it! This was a true funny comedy. Chicago Code was good too. My husband is ticked about Human Target. I guess Glee and Idol are all Fox cares about now.
I just can’t get into Glee but my grown son who I live with thinks it’s fabulous. Granted, they have great voices but what’s the story line?
Hmmm…grown son that you live with thinks Glee is fabulous.
LOL @ Bob.
gibbyswife, maybe your son should come out of the closet.
I have never heard of a straight man who watches and likes Glee. Most straight men watch it because their spouse likes it. Glee is one of the worst shows on tv. I hated Glee club kids in school, why the hell do I want to watch a show about them?
Really thought “Breaking In” would at least get one more season. Slater as Oz is hilarious and the supporting cast — especially Dutch and “Boom goes the dynamite” — were awesome.
Of course Breaking In got cancelled, they hired Ted McGinley as a guest star.
I hope this means good things for The Chicago Code. Fox needs to renew that ASAP!
The Chicago Code definitely needs to be renewed! Top quality show.
TCC just got canceled..
The Chicago Code was the first show in a long time that I actually looked forward to seeing each week.
I guess if they had the same storyline week after week, like House, maybe it would be played out enough to keep around. But I suppose it had too much action and not enough of the same old thing.
Great TV….First time I can think of that they’ve had a cop show based in CHICAGO!!!! “CHICAGO CODE”!!!! Fox – Bad Idea….Gee, maybe a CABLE STATION…like USA, TNT, FX ??? will pick it up!!! GREAT TV, bad move!!!! As well as BREAKINNG IN
I hope the news of the cancellation was in time so The Chicago Code can wrap up the story arc. Then instead of a cancelled show, it would be more like a miniseries that lasted a whole season. I want to see alderman Gibbons in handcuffs!
Me too…hope TCC gets picked up by FX or TNT
Don’t you just love the instant gratification/make it happen now generation. It’s May. It’s the end of the season for shows. They probably wrapped shooting on the last (now series finale) episode a month ago.
Chicago Code was canceled shortly after it started airing because the show’s creator left 20th Century Fox for Sony. That made it DOA to Fox.
Breaking In’s ratings still haven’t finished dropping. Too bad, because I thought it was hilarious. Christian Slater’s character was awesome.
Slater seems to have the WORST luck with tv series. I hope he finds something soon. He’s a good actor.
I really liked this show!! It made me laugh out loud and Slater was great. I’m really disappointed to hear this.
Breaking In was doing pretty well though! Oh well, don’t really care too much. Probably good news for The Chicago Code, and possibly good news for Lie To Me.
Worst news I’ve heard all year. Human Target was a great show and close contender with Burn Notice. Fox sucks.
Human Target was garbage.
Only if you have no taste.
The Man must be a Glee fan
HT was great until they messed with the formula and brought in the Pucci character.
Even then, it was still a lot better than a lot of other dreck on television.
I only started watching it after they brought in the girls, but it seemed like a show that was really close to great and not quite there. The main character and Rorschach need to pair up for another show, stat.
Still sucks because at least it was something different then the kind of dreck CBS churns out.
HT was better this season than last, so it went backwards at the end of the seasons.
This was the news I was waiting for and fearing for Human Target. Silly though to expect anything better from FOX. I loved Human Target in the first season, thought it okay in the second season but not as good as the first. I was hoping they would learn from their mistakes and return more to the first season formula if they got a third season, but now that hope is gone. I don’t watch Fringe but I don’t begrudge any FOX show their renewal. Just beware that FOX will stab Fringe in the back next year, like they do all their shows except the reality garbage they shove down America’s collective throat.
Yep, too much messing around with HT from it s first season — from slicing the amazing Bear McCreary score from the show to stuffing in extra unneeded characters — just a bunch of bad decisions. No wonder the ratings fell.
Agreed. It was unwatchable after all the changes. There were many people that made this observation on fox website but, as usual, they don’t listen to us peons.
Noooooooooooo!!!
I love Human Target, wtf I hate Fox. Human Target was such a great show, sooo much fun to watch. I feel really bad, I had high hopes that they’d renew it, Fox sucks A$$!!
FOX DOES SUCK. I thought Human Target was excellent TV. I even liked it in season 2 when others didn’t. I blame them making only 13 episodes and playing shuffleboard with the air dates.
Stupid because in about a year House is going to end, Bones will be heading into Season 8 and the only hour long show on the network at this rate will be Glee.
Lie to Me damn well better come back.
That is so true–they moved Human Target all over the place and never gave it a chance to gain a solid audience. It was a fantastic show! I’m also really sad about Lie to Me, even though I didn’t love this past season it’s still one of the best shows on tv! What a bunch of idiots running FOX!
Fox really seems to hate its genre shows, I feel.
The only genre FOX likes is singing and dancing buffoons
Because it mimics their Executives perfectly
I thought breaking in was doing fine
Kinda bummed about Human Target getting the axe. I didn’t love the show but it was a fun watch for sure.
Agreed! I just loved Chi McBride on that show. I do have to question Fox’s intelligence in canceling Human Target but airing that crappy Bones spin-off, The Finder. Bleh.
I also agree. Not fantastic, but quite enjoyable.
On a side note I got to meet the 3 lead guys and the producers at Comic Con last summer. Really friendly, especially Chi McBride.
I will be buying Season 2 on Day One of release (already have season 1) just to show Fox how stupid they were.
Yeah, that’ll show them.
Yes, giving them money will certainly show those bastards!
My money will go to Warner Brothers. They produce the show and sell the DVDs. Fox can see its stupid because people would still watch it. I’m so sick of this network. They don’t know how to program a thing. They don’t know how to sit back and wait for something to blossom over a period of years. Nowadays people aren’t watching because they expect cancellation really quickly. When you program a show at random parts of the week a mere 13 times (and this year they doubled up Target episodes 2 or 3 times so it got done in like a month and a half) then can you be shocked when nobody tunes in?
If you want to teach them a lesson download it for free using Bit Torrent and don’t give the bastards any money
Surprised about Breaking In though I wasn’t sure it would do well if Idol wasn’t before it.
NOOOOOOOOO! I loved Human Target! I guess I will just stop watching Fox because every time they get a show I like they cancel it within 1 or 2 seasons
Agreed Lonnie. How can they cancel Human Target. That show was the best. I’m going back to reading. Nothing gets cancelled in reading land. Shame on you FOX.
Also, nothing can stop you from re-watching the show on DVD! Waiting for Amazon to start pre-orders for HT Season 2!
Dear FOX,
I am officailly breaking up with you, over the years you have cancelled too many shows that showed promised but refuse to give them a solid chance.
Signed,
Moved to another network
Wouldn’t signing it “Former Fox viewer” make more sense?
It’s not just FOX-every network does that.
Ever since the whole Firefly debacle (my fav show ever btw) FOX has actually been pretty good about giving low rated shows some extra chances. At least better than the other networks have been. Fringe is going into a 4th season, Arrested Development got 3 seasons, Dollhouse got a 2nd season, Terminator got a full 22 episode 2nd season, etc.. Sure they’ve also cancelled some shows prematurely, but they don’t deserve the hate that fanboys have for them.
Agreed. +Why don’t viewers understand that you have to watch these shows “live” in order to keep them going? It’s all about advertising dollars, and if the companies pour thousands into ads, they want you to see what they are selling. And I don’t wanna hear the “outdated Nielsen system” line. That system is still a good indicator of total viewers where it counts.
Maybe these shows have niche audiences; people that loyal to that show but doesn’t follow the typical formulaic approach of a sitcom or drama the big networks like to keep every year.
Actually, watching these shows live does nothing for them unless you are one of the few with a Nelison Box. Those are the only live viewings that go on record. A small number of households also get booklets for one week every couple of years. Those responses get tallied also. If you don’t have a Neilson box, you are actually better off DVRing the show and getting counted that way, even if it is after the original air date by a day or two. Those get counted too, as I understand it.
Fringe renewal was a quid pro quo for green-lighting J.J. Abrams’ Alcatraz. How happy would Abrams have been if they dumped Fringe and brought on Alcatraz.
Oh, and they’ll dump Fringe in a heartbeat if Alcatraz doesn’t make it.
@RB Again, “I don’t wanna hear the ‘outdated Nielsen system’ line.” Advertisers don’t care about DVR cus we all fast-forward thru the commercials. AND Nielsen is STILL a solid indicator of how many people watch television as the show airs.
Wait, let’s see if I have your little conspiracy theory straight. FOX only renewed “Fringe” so they could get “Alcatraz” — which JJ was already preparing and, because it was being developed by FOX, actually COULD NOT have been given to another network this season (or possibly any other, given the myriad of contingency clauses in all the contracts)? JJ Abrams, as savvy a media producer as exists, wouldn’t want to get a new show on the air regardless of how the others are doing? FOX would bank a low-rated show so they could get a totally unknown property by the producer of the show that isn’t getting high ratings? Do you start to see how much sense you’re NOT making?
@LP I never said the Nielson system wasn’t an indicator (though I would contest how solid an indicator it is in this day and age of timeshifting and alternative methods of viewing) and whether the dvdr is valid or not (I think it is), it does get recognized and counted by the networks and goes into their viewership numbers upon which they decide to renew or cancel a show. Try checking out “TV By The Numbers” online and you will see the DVDR+7 numbers are used and of significance.
Love it…HATE Fox…
That’s what they do. All the way back to ‘America’s Most Wanted”.
I am co-signing this break up! I actually watched every single show they just canceled! Basically, all fox has left for me is House, & it’s probably on it’s last leg(hee hee)
Even Idol stinks now with that moronic judging panel! They have canceled my favs in the past, but this was the final blow for me!
FOX renewed Fringe even though it probably should of been cancelled(I love the show, but the ratings are terrible). I’ll give them a pass for any shows they cancel this year.
Finally someone who’s talking some sense. You can’t expect FOX to pick up every low rated show they have. They should get some credit for even picking up one.
Totally agree. FOX renewed “Fringe” when every other network would have probably canned it, so I can’t be upset with anything else they do with their schedule. I have my favorite show for another season, so I’m happy.
Network TV is a disaster. Very little to care about. Most of the good stuff is on cable. The networks don’t even try anymore. Look at all the reality show crap currently on the schedules.
@LOL Was that a totally unrelated addition to this thread, or did you mean to reply to the main post?
Even cable networks cancel good shows like AMC cutting Rubicon and FX cutting Terriers.
LOL- Agreed. The crappiest episode of Mad Men is better then the best episode of anything on network TV. After “The Shield” broke out, cable really stepped up and now has better programming straight across the board.
Ha…I just realized the irony of what I just posted. “The Shield” was on FX, which is owned by Fox.
Watching much more cable than network TV. And I really miss Terriers.
I totally agree. FOX basically renewed one show based on quality alone (“Fringe”) and is otherwise being ruthless. My guess is that the network brass feel that they have a very solid development slate (though that preview of “The Finder” on “Bones” makes me wonder if it’s really as strong as they think, but that’s another question.) FOX has a lot of new shows they want to launch, and they’re trimming the deadweight. They only kept the show with the strongest cult following and quality.