Amid a flurry of renewals tonight comes word from multiple sources that ABC has axed the Alyssa Milano-headlined freshman comedy Romantically Challenged. In less surprising news, the Alphabet net has also canceled Better Off Ted, Scrubs, and FlashForward. An ABC spokesperson had no comment.
My Bubble Show Scorecard has been updated.
No surprises with any of these. Better Off Ted was the only good show amongst them and it was lucky to get as far as it did.
Better Off Ted was fan-freaking-tastic! It was far, far better than the overrated (but still alright) Community and Modern Family.
ABC gave TED no love.
Sticking it behind “Scrubs”, especially this past season was no fair. They had a perfectly good spot for it on Wednesday after “Hank” got axed. It would have worked great at 8:30 between “The Middle” and “Modern Family”. “Better Off Ted” was never given its due.
Ted was so underrated! I disagree that Community is overrated, but Modern Family totally is.
Modern Family “overrated”?? The writing and acting on this show has got to be in the top 5 on television.
Agreed, I really loved Better off Ted but never saw it promoted and could never find it on tv.
Ted was great but wouldn’t have worked anywhere on ABC’s schedule. Sorry moviemenace, it would have failed on Wednesdays. As for Modern Family being overrated – what are you smoking????
Better Off Ted was great. I like The Middle, but can’t find anything funner about Modern Family or Cougar Town.
Everything sucks compared to Arrested Development (except for Ted).
Sad about Ted, but not surprised. I agree with Chels that it was a nice surprise to even get a second season.
Better Off Ted was freakn HILARIOUS. One of the best comedies to air in a long time. Never understood why it didn’t get more run.
Given the fact that sitcoms rarely last a month these days, I am happy with Modern Family. I don’t think its overrated either…
overrated: Glee (ughhh) please cancel.
I’d be more annoyed if it weren’t obvious your definition of “overrated” is “anything I don’t like.”
TED? Say it isn’t so!! Bring it back. How about a campaign?
FLASHFORWARD – so are they going to wrap up the series with an explanation, answering questions?
Not only is Modern Family not overrated, I would say it’s UNDERrated. Lots of people have no idea how good the show is. (And I have no idea why a show like Cougar Town should have been destined for success, but somehow it has gotten so good.) A real shame about Flashforward, but no surprise with Scrubs – they had a great “finale” last season and should have ended it there.
Community and Modern Family are both good comedies. Community can be very clever, subtle with lot of physical humor. Modern Family is often linguistically hilarious if you catch some of the scripted stuff. I rate them both, hell who wants to fight over what’s funnier when they are both very funny shows; fight for them all if they make you laugh – most comedies simply plain suck! But Ted blew them both into thin air on a bad day IMHO. It was the funniest show TV has seen since Arrested. All the physical comedy, and the very cleverest scripts I think I’ve ever listened to. I’d only rate Arrested and Married With Children at its height as making me laugh more, and that’s a weird one, given MWC as so much down to Ed O’Neill and he again has given me the biggest laughs in MF. But Better Off Ted definitely isn’t Better Off Dead. I just think for so much of it it was simply better than most people’s head(s).
But where the hell are the last two episodes of “Better Off Ted”??? They’ve been filmed, but not yet broadcast! BROADCAST THE MISSING EPISODES, YOU BASTARDS!
Looks like we’ll have to wait for the DVD to come out.
Sorry to hear about ‘Ted’ but sadly not surprised. As for the suggestion of inserting it into the Wednesday lineup, it may have not worked because Ted is a completely different type of comedy from the other three shows that air there. Had Ted been paired with Scrubs circa 2004 it might have had a chance to prosper, but not with the Med School Generation.
BitTorrent has every episode
GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH!! (Fast Forward, Scrubs, and Heroes)
Heroes? Not yet cancelled. Not mentioned in this article.
Not 2 mention that Heroes isn’t even on ABC…
Scrubs was actually better this year than last year. As soon as Braff left, the show got better and was actually pretty funny. The season with the “finale” reminded me of “Friends” back in the day; it just wasn’t funny anymore, but had iconic characters so you watched it anyways. This season got rid of the annoying JD (liked him earlier, but never grew), gave the blond doc more lines, and her boyfriend basically replaced JD’s screen time.
While I heartily disagree with Joe that Community and Modern Family are overrated, I certainly agree with Chels that it’s surprising Ted made it this far.
Not that it was a bad show … it was remarkably witty and funny … just very poorly promoted and obviously not viewed by too many people. Ah well, time to add it to the Brilliant But Canceled list with Arrested Development, Firefly …
RIP Better off Ted. SUCH a funny show!
I love Better Off Ted!!!! Could this be a PLOY to promote it??? (i.e., we all protest & ABC re-instates it?) It was the best ensemble cast on TV! Love Veronica!!!
Cancellations: They Suck! So we’re canceling them. Nobody should ever be able to tell YOU what you can’t watch. Not unless they are your wife, or mother, or the cleaning lady that keeps hiding your remote.
VERIDIAN DYNAMICS: Looking after YOUR television rights. Because even your cleaning lady wouldn’t trust an ABC executive to make a right decision.
And I guess this means the chances of Portia De Rossi winning an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy (and yes, she IS better than Jane Lynch) just went down the toilet too.
No one’s better than Jane Lynch.
Jany Lynch should be in the Lead actress category, while Porita will be in supporting.
It is a shame that Ted never really got a legit chance, can they sneak it onto ABC family maybe?
Actually I think Vanessa Williams should take it for Ugly Betty. Jane Lynch will have more chances- Vanessa Williams won’t.
I like Jane Lynch, her character is great, but is she really a great actress? She is the same character in every show or movie. Not saying she’s not perfectly cast, but she hasn’t changed since 40 year old virgin.
I’ll miss Ted, and ABC should be ashamed of itself for the way it failed to support a very good show.
You’re right, but network execs are congenitally unable to feel shame. But that shouldn’t keep us from pelting them with brickbats for their stupidity. Ted was the best comedy ABC and they royally bothced it. I agree with earlier poster who said it would have fit great to fill the canceled Hank slot (or switch with the Middle).
BOT would do well on CBS since half of CBS’s shows are set in crime labs. BOT is set in a lab and is criminally funny. BOT would have an audience if it were renamed CSI Veridian Dynamics (or NCIS Veridian Dynamics).
I love Flashforward. There are so many plot points I want answers to!!! Like what happens in the next blackout? Who will live, who will die? I’m bummed.
Does anyone know if they aired all the filmed episodes of Ted? So sad it’s going, but not surprised!
I gave that Ted show a chance on two different occasions. I didn’t laugh once. Modern Family and Community have me laughing the entire show almost every week.
Then you must need to evolve some more. Ted was one of the funniest shows in a long time.
Flashforward is an excellent show. Would have made a good alternative once Lost is gone for good. The rest of the shows I can do without.
I agree! Love Flashforward… Can’t believe it’s getting cancelled!!!
Finally some FF supporters! I really liked it, and it was just starting to pick up steam again…maybe another network like TNT will pick it up!
Totally Agree…it’s one of the best written and acted shows on TV. It just sucks that people weren’t willing to give it a chance. Every episode has been full of twists and turns and I’m really sad it’s canceled.
i’m so bummed they cancelled FF..especially since it’s really good now too bad people didn’t give it a chance..
COMPLETELY AGREE! Why did they cancel FF…they should have just stuck it out until after LOST is gone and then they’d get an even bigger following…
I AM TICKED that FF is being cancelled! And I TOTALLY AGREE it was a nice filler for us Losties that are going to go through some SERIOUS withdrawals!
I agree as well. I watched it religiously and Tivo’d or Hulu’d to make sure I never missed it. I wonder if they count those views in their ratings. So much potential…
Agreed! Of shows in that vein, “V” definitely did not deserve a renewal over “FlashForward”.
Ireally got into this show.
Will they resolve the story or just leave us hanging.
I LOVE Flashforward, great actors, great writing – but you could see that the plot was limited. Maybe a second season, but it would be so easy to fall into a “24″ trap and be overdone. Still one more season would have been best!!! ARRGH – I hate NBC!
Count me in among the FF supporters. The story has become very interesting and I truly think the show deserved a second season. I hope we get some answers!~ bummer.
yeah FF is fantastic…I am getting so tired of shows getting canceled that I enjoy, I am close to being done with TV altogether and if the networks arent carefull, they are going to completely alienate the viewing public
I agree that Flash Forward should stay. The only problem is it is an ABC Production and not a network production.
They had a built-in date to end it and if they had wanted to they would have ended it on April 29th.
However, I would like to see how they reconcile the end.
What the ABC execs failed to notice is that many Losties looked at FlashForward as a replacement series. Different, but with similar mind bending mysteries, twists that keep the viewer interested and hanging on for answers. They made a colossal mistake canceling this one! (Then again, they also continue to rely on Nielsen and ‘live viewings’ of shows when truth is many, many households record and watch later. As ABC continues to cancel shows the majority prefer, our television selections will be determined by a choice few. The networks need to get a clue and change how they make these decisions.
I agree — I liked Flash Forward. The problem was when it went off the air. People forgot what had happened previously. Also, the timeslot could have been an issue. It really should have been on later in the evening.
Better Off Ted was amazingly fantabulously great! The best comedy on tv. My husband and I knew it couldn’t last though, because it was so snarky and funny. So, not a network show. Surprised they kept it this long.
Can’t say a word against Modern Family. It’s one of the best written ensemble comedies on T.V. However, i’m really bummed about Ted. These type of cancellations are typical of ABC
Again with ABC, what’s their deal? Just a couple weeks ago they play a re-run of “Lost” mid-season even when they said they would air the whole season uninterrupted. ABC is going to lose more and more people with these shenanigans. Now they cut “Flashforward”…they should have put a little money into the advertising for it.
Dang. Better Off Ted is so good.
In all seriousness, Fox ought to make a reach for this show. Don’t know what they’d pair it with, but Portia was a good fit with Fox the first time around on AD.
…..think you meant to abbreviate, ‘AM (for ‘Ally McBeal’?)
Arrested Development…
No tears.
I’m numb! I was holding onto a small glimmer of hope, but the idiots at ABC can’t tell when they have an excellent show on their schedules. I agree they never gave Ted any love. I wish there was another network out there that would pick up this wonderfully funny show.
Between V and Flashforward…I’d rather go Flashforward. But considering I thought both were going down, I’m glad to see one made it out alive.
Maybe. I’m not so sure I don’t trust ABC to axe V anyway. I think it’s starting to get really good!
V is starting to get good. I’m liking it.
Yep, ABC is not trustworthy at all. Back in a November issue of EW, Elizabeth Mitchell said that she thought what they did with the first four eps rated a 6, and she thought the last 9 eps rated a 10. I don’t think they’ve gotten to the 10 level, but V steadily has gotten better, more interesting. What with Lost signing off & Ted getting a ridiculous axe, if they cancel V, there will only be one, maybe two shows on ABC that I’d care to watch.
Jim, I agree — between V and FlashForward, I’d much rather watch the latter! I was hoping they’d cancel V and renew FlashForward….
Agree completely
I second that. I’d rather see more Flashforward than V.
I’d rather see more of the V countdown clock.
I agree. V has gotten better lately but I’d much rather see it on the chopping block than FlashForward.
totally agreed! i had high hopes for V but when i tried watching the first episode i was bored after 10 minutes… although FF wasn’t amazingly good in the beginning it still had something that intrigued me and kept me watching and i’m glad for that cause these last episodes have been amazing! i’m so bummed this show is ending way too quickly and just when it’s starting to get really good!
agreed
I am in agreement and love FF and with lost gone I hope to get my fix with FF. V is just a typical Scifi show and you can see those a dime a dozen. Please keep FF it is a great show.
V was actually picking up in its story. I prefer this show.
I am totally holding out hope of a Sawyer and Miles cop show.
“V” better than “FlashForward?” Puh-leeze. V is so stupid. What a dumb premise – 4 musketeers fighting off aqn army of well-armed, high tech aliens. Gimme a break. FastForward has a thoughtful plot, great twists, plenty of reveals (unlike LOST) and keeps you guessing. So Fiennes is a bit stiff. Too late to recast him now.
I’d rather watch a Lost spinoff than either of these lame shows
I’m sure that’d be music to Terry and Michael’s ears, considering they’ve talked about doing another show together after LOST – and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Titus and Mark did one either (and if it’s as hilarious as their ‘Connect Four Million’ skit on Kimmel this week, I’m THERE!) Come to think of it, Josh and Ken could probably pull off a decent cop show themselves…..
There is going to be another blackout…
Ain’t that the truth!
LOL!
FlashForward is one of my favorite new shows, and I think it is far superior to V. Oh well. I hope the talented cast ends up on something else soon!
Alright stop with the silly “V” vs. “Flashforward” arguements! They are both simply attempts to replicate the genius of LOST, and they are both failed attempts at that. I’m going to wait for something innovative and original to come on network TV again(cuz cable TV is too dark and cynical for my taste). Oh well, I shouldn’t hold my breath.
After Lost, I am done with ABC. There are no shows in prime time that I plan to watch this year. ABC is a dinosaur – basing business decisions on a 50 year-old system of rating movies using 1,100 “statistically representative” homes with meters. I am old enough to have lived through the entirety of network TV, dating back to the I Love Lucy, etc. days. I never believed that the Nielsen Ratings were accurate back then, and especially when video tape recorders surfaced. They never took into account that people were watching one show while taping another. Now, with DVR’s, Cable, the net, and DVD’s, my viewing habits are entirely different than they were even five or ten years ago, and certainly different than they were 40-50 years ago, but the major networks don’t seem to recognize that things have changed.
With Lost, 24, and FF going off the air, that means that I watch a total of 1 show on ABC, 2 on NBC, 4 on CBS, and 5 on Fox. That is a total of 8 hours per week. I used to watch more than 15 – 20 hours of network TV per week. Of the 12 shows I watch, four are cartoons, two are sci-fi, one is 60 minutes, and the rest are 1/2 hour sitcoms and Survivor. And, this is the main fact – I watch NONE of them in real time. In fact, the only thing that I watch in real time is sports, or the news. That’s it. Everything else is DVR’d or watched online.
The network execs are a bunch of dumba$$es!
Oh, I forgot – ABC has made some very stupid strategic decisions to introduce shows in the fall, then taking a “midseason break”, and picking up the story in the spring. They promised to do it uninterrupted, but like someone else noted, they stuck a rerun of Lost in the middle of the final run to the end. I don’t have the time to “keep track” of when shows I like go off the air, and when they are going to return, then sticking with them, just to see them cancelled. They have done this more than once, and I guess “ratings” would teach them it doesn’t work, but…….
Yep, the story line in Flash Forward got sooo much better after the break they had…just too bad they lost so many viewers on the poorly done earlier episodes. V? What can I say except..been there, done that. The first one was inovative and fresh..this one is a re-hash.
Dangit I actually liked “FlashForward” it got sooo much better after they came back from break!
I agree. I actually liked the show. I knew a while ago about the possibility of the chopping block, but I’m still sorry to see it go. It was good. And great to see a few of the actors back on tv.
YES! It had such an awesome cast: Jack Davenport, Dominic Monaghan, John Cho, etc.
How will I get my weekly John Cho fix now? He’s so handsome ;D
I love Flashforward! It got really good when they came back from the break. I was hoping they’d at least ride the momentum into another season. There’s gonna be a lot of loose ends left hanging
Just wait for the Blackout and all will be revealed, for those who see a future.
Flashforward was probably the biggest letdown of any show I’ve ever seen. I tried so hard to get interested in it, but it had SO many problems. In-your-face philosophy, meandering plotlines, Joseph Fiennes… it’s a shame that such a good concept (with some great actors) went so wrong.
What’s wrong with Joseph Fiennes?
What’s wrong with Joseph Fiennes? He couldn’t get a handle on an American accent, for one thing. His performance was wooden, for another.
Good actor given bad material and bad direction. You could almost count on some point in an episode that he’d growl, “There’s gonna be another blackout” that you could make a drinking game out of it.
So true. We tried to stay with Flash Forward but it was just all over the place. I thought the idea of it was so interesting but ABC took away their momentum by shelving it for so long.
Agree completely! I tried to get into Flash Forward and I liked the reboot when they came back after the four month break. But then it started meandering down too many roads with too many characters and storylines. I tried to keep up with it, but finally gave up. And Joseph Finnes was horribly miscast; couldn’t stand his mumbling and terrible attempt at an American accent.
Joseph Fiennes: Shakespeare in Love, FlashForward not so much.
Fiennes was badly miscast. He didn’t have the charisma to carry this show.
I think all of that would have been palatable if it hadn’t been for their lack of ah-ha! moments. I only remember two exciting moments in the entire series (the blackout, and that guy’s suicide). I got to episode 8 and it hit me how boring Flashforward was and I just couldn’t watch another ep after that.
I am SO disappointed in the FF cancellation. Things got a little rough after the pilot but what an improvement after the break — they finally did some character development and made me care about these people! The plot was moving along nicely and there was some humor, too. I think it deserves a second chance — those who were disappointed and didn’t stick with it could have been enticed to come back.
If the creators wanted to finish the story, I bet it would make a pretty rockin’ video game…
I recently read the book the series is based upon. The story line in the series is better than the book, but it sacrifices the internal consistency, discussions of the implications of latest discoveries in physics, and the philosophical discussions of free will vs. destiny or an immutable future; all done really, really well in print.
They have introduced so many holes that the explanation for the FlashForward provided in the book can not possibly be the one used in the show. I hope they give us something that is at least adequate even if it is scientifically unbalanced (i.e., not completely full of crap).
I like Flashforward to. It’s sad to see it go. Hopefully, they’ll run the remaining episodes this summer.
Very disappointed Ted and Flash Forward were axed. Now that Lost is just about done, I no longer have any reason to trust ABC — every show I like gets cut.
And those of you saying Modern Family is overrated – really?? What are you watching? MF is easily the funniest show on tv right now.
totally agree
I have watched the show the entire season, and though they killed off a great villain in D Gibbons, the show has definitely vastly improved over the last month or so. Gone are the sobering and boring story lines that clogged the arteries of the show after the initial sprint out of the gates. I also think V is starting to get strong too.
I’m sorry for Flashforward. I felt it got better creatively and could have been rescued. It’s a shame that it started so slow for the first 6-8 episodes as otherwise it might have survived.
I think Flashforward would have done just fine if they hadn’t preplanned the long break it was on even before it started. Stupid ABC.
WTF! Better Off Ted is one of the best comedies on ABC but do we ever see any promos? No…its Cougar Town and the Middles. ARG!
Better Off Ted was smart and hilarious…why ABC didn’t pair it up with the rest of it’s Wednesday comedies (all of which are at least decent if not fantastic…I’m lovin’ the direction “Cougar Town” is going) is beyond me. It would have fit right in…
Yeah, it would be perfect at 8pm wednesday. I don’t understand why they couldn’t see it..
The few episodes they did have were long over by last year. Better Off Ted was one of my favorite shows that had NO LOVE!!!! Can’t wait for the DVD’s.
I had a feeling FF was not coming back. I wanted to love the show but only managed to like it. For me, it had a habit of having a really good episode that made me excited for the next one. Then the next one would be rather boring.
They had a good idea with the show. It just fizzled in the end.
They had a bad habit of not building on the excitement created by a good episode. There was that episode where that guy jumped off the building and then the next episode consisted of little more than characters saying to one another ‘we can change things now! isn’t that great?’ It was like they were providing their own meta in the show. A lot of time it felt like they were stalling for time. It’s too bad because the premise was rather gritty and shocking and awesome.
This is such a disappointment; I really looked forward to Flash Forward each week. V has been going downhill and somehow gets renewal over FF? BOO ABC!
I agree Alison.
V has actually been getting better, while FF never recovered from the mid-season tank job it did.
No “V” got worse and “FF” got better, but “V” had “Lost” as its lead-in, which helped it. And note that the one week that it did not have a new episode of “Lost” as its lead-in it tanked. I think that speaks volumes for “V”. It’ll no doubt tank on when its on its own next year.
V is definitely getting better.
I agree! V is awful!
Third. Seriously I might now have to give V a chance but I ALWAYS looked forward to seeing FlashForward every week…:( ABC why do you do this to me?
I briefly considered giving V another chance and then ABC ruined my viewing experience of Lost with a countdown clock and I lost all desire…
I have boycotted V since the countdown clock on Lost…that messed it up for me too…but I love FF and hope that they have a chance to finish it properly – it’s probably going to have a rushed and crappy ending like Life on Mars
I watched the first two eps. back of V and found I simply didn’t care any more. While I admit to being behind on FF, I’m at least still interested and intrigued. Way to go, ABC.
Agreed about the countdown clock. Any other week it might have been okay, but to run it during Ab Aeterno, when we needed to actually be able to read the bottom of the screen? Bad move.
I GAVE V a chance, even with the countdown clock. That show sucks, and it will most DEFINITELY die without Lost. I recorded most of my episodes of FlashForward, knowing the plot could only give two solid season at best, but how that show gt canceled instead of V is beyond me. Here’s to hoping they wrap it up nicely. Also, Grey’s Anatomy can go ahead and end next season. I’m done with all their love issues.
Totally agree, I can’t stand V now. I really enjoy FF.
And Better Off Ted is hilarous.
I’m sad about Better off Ted, because it was hysterical and had a great cast. But it didn’t have the numbers or network support. The other shows should not let the door hit them in the @$$ on the way out.
i’m not going to lie, i am a little upset about FlashForward. As wobbly a plot as it is, I still found myself entertained. Oh well. I’m free to watch Community live now!
damn i loved flashforward i hope another channel picks it up they should have never set it to compete with survivor abc are some dumba**es
I guess this hope could still be there. NBC could pick it up to replace Heroes
Flash Forward should’ve been on at 9 or 10 instead of going up against Survivor at 8. I DVR’d the first part of the season, but by the time it came back I didn’t care any more (and Survivor was excellent).
I’m so annoyed about ABC canceling Flash Forward….they not only screwed around with its’ schedule, they ran it at 8:00 and gave it NO promotion the second half of the season….they run NO commercials for it at all, but if I see one more promo pimping those glorified soap operas Private Practice and Gray’s Anatomy I’ll scream! We need a fan campaign…maybe another network will pick it up!
RIP, Better Off Ted. You’ll be missed.
Well, I understand that certain people “may” not like flashforward but come on people. Look fox is ending 24, and some people may not be a fan of ok. But don’t knock a good show, “V” is a great show, alot better then most, now I’m not going to bash shows I don’t like too much and I’m not trying to rain on anyones parade. But I would say that flashforward has alot to offer then most shows. Great cast, great plot, sub-plot. They should keep flashforward and throw out the the real BAD shows.
I LOVE FLASH FORWARD!! HATE TO SEE IT GO! V LOOKS PRETTY STUPID TO ME..
“V” is horrible indeed.
Agreed.
I LOVED FLASHFORWARD TOO WHAT THE….THIS REALLY SUCKS IT WAS GETTING SO GOOD TOO ABC RETARDED
FlashForward could never get the basics right. “This ring is the most valuable thing on earth.” FBI doesn’t trust Charlie. Charlie walks out of headquarters w ring, totally unhindered. Week after week, plot stupidity like that destroyed a potentially good show.
Flash Forward was just getting good. Just like when they cancelled “Life” Damien Lewis was great. Why didn’t they try a new night or time?
Expected. Actually surprised that V got renewed (I thought it was a miniseries or something for this season?) but I’ve just been watching FlashForward waiting on them to cancel it.
V was a miniseries in the ’80′s.
And a TV series.