Happy Hour: Fox Drops Sitcom to Save The O.C.
FOX has a problem. The recent World Series was lowest-rated in history. Fox’s new shows (Justice, Standoff, Til Death and Happy Hour) have returned from the baseball hiatus to lower viewer numbers than their averages before the World Series. As expected, the fourth season premiere of The O.C. drew a paltry number of viewers, pitted up against CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Grey’s Anatomy. It’s no surprise that Fox has to make some changes. Those changes impact Happy Hour most of all.
The sitcom Happy Hour debuted on September 7th and centers around the life of Henry Beckman, played by John Sloan. Henry has the perfect life and relationship until he gets dumped, loses his job, and has to move in with Larry Cone (Lex Medlin) — a friend who has a unique take on life and the opposite sex.
The show was not well received by critics and didn’t draw many viewers either. In fact, Happy Hour was a frontrunner in most cancellation polls. The sitcom was pulled from the Thursday night schedule after three episodes but FOX promised the show would return. Happy Hour returned on November 2nd and its fourth episode drew a meager 2.2 rating, down over 25% from its pre-baseball airing. It provided a very weak lead in for FOX’s drama, The O.C.
As a result, FOX is moving shows around, particularly in an attempt to save The O.C. The once popular O.C.will air on both Wednesday and Thursday nights for the coming week to try to regain its audience.
To make room for this, FOX has pulled Happy Hour from the schedule once again and the word is that it won’t be coming back. Any mention of the series has been stripped from the Fox website. Some sources have said that the series’ 13 episode order will be completed (including an episode featuring Arrested Development’s Jessica Walter), so perhaps Happy Hour will be aired internationally or released on DVD at some point. 
June 28th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
I haven’t started watching the O.C. until recently, and I love it! Its one of those shows that have you addicted after the first episode. Honestly, I think its selfish of the people who have complained about it. If you don’t like it don’t watch it! Let the people who do like it continue watching it. I hope that they decide to relaunch the O.C. I would definitely buy the fifth season.
March 14th, 2007 at 5:48 am
Funny show! Really got into it and looked forward to it then all of a sudden gone!! FOX SUCKS!
January 17th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
My husband and I are also very disappointed that Happy Hour has been cancelled. This was one of the few shows that we really enjoyed together. It is the first real comedy in a long time that really made us both laugh out loud. Please bring it back. Here’s to Happy Hour!!!!!
January 9th, 2007 at 8:39 am
It is not over till its over. We can still impact them to create another season. Don’t underestimate the power of people joining together!
January 5th, 2007 at 6:45 am
The OC is a realy great show. It has ment a lot to me. It has actualy brought my sister closer to me because we were watching the episodes together. No, seriously, why would you even thing of letting the oc that show is an amazing one! I’m telling you, it is so believe me for God’s sake. I’m in love with this show. It just cant end like this. What will it take to change you guys’ mind? Sing a petition or what?
Cmon… Kelly Rowan is MY idol…. oh yea, And I so love Adam Brody and Ben. Please, for the love of God, please dont think that no one likes the OC.
I hope there will be a season 5… and a sixth one too!
January 4th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
i Can’t believe u could even think of letting the oc that show is my life i love and have never!!! missed an epasode of it if that show goes off air i will never never ever whatch any fox show again u hear me i love the oc ya maybe there is a lot of complaining teens but who cares its like a soap… at night and i love the ppl that dont like it have probab;y never whatched more than 1 epasode so if u want to have more veiwers i will tell every1 i no to start watching if it means u will keep the o.c goin i rele rele LOVE the oc it’s great i could name every single person that has ever been on that show and seth cohen is my freakn idle man!!!!!!!!
~~so i hope u listen to what i had to say!~~
December 7th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
I can’t believe Happy Hour is cancelled. I miss it. Now that the OC is going away - maybe they will bring it back. I don’t know why they’d think Happy Hour would bring in OC viewers anyway - that’s for the teenage crowd while Happy Hour appealed to an adult crowd. I say bring back Happy Hour!!
December 7th, 2006 at 10:27 am
It is clear that FOX never intended that Happy Hour succeed. Their advertising for it was nearly non-existent, with barely a mention at the end of an ad for ‘Til Death. They bounced the pilot of ‘Til Death all over the prime-time schedule, in a desperate attempt to get viewers for it, and now they play a re-run of ‘Til Death (from just a couple of weeks previous) along with a new one on Thursdays.
It appears that Happy Hour was deliberately picked up just to be slashed from the schedule. They’ve got no business blaming a cancellation on poor viewership for a show they didn’t advertise.
It’s a shame, because ‘Til Death is turning out the same old typical banter we’ve seen over and over again, and that may be the reason FOX has had to push so hard to get it noticed. Happy Hour had fresher faces with refreshing new comic delivery, not the same old lines we already know are coming. The writing and presentation gave us a real ensemble production with a sense of fun I haven’t seen since the days of WKRP in Cincinnati.
There hasn’t been much else on FOX lately that I care for. I watched Bones last season, but it hasn’t been good enough to hold me, and I’m so irritated by FOX’s obvious tactics with Happy Hour that I no longer watch any shows on FOX. I just looked at their current line-up. I can say with honesty that no one I know watches the programs FOX has on its schedule.
December 5th, 2006 at 11:16 pm
Happy Hour was one of the best shows i have seen in ages. The characters were great and the acting was better then it in many shows.
Lets hope that they release the complete series to DVD
November 30th, 2006 at 12:37 pm
I love Happy Hour. I thought this would be the show to make drinking the afternoon popular again. Especially for those of us who chose to enjoy our 20’s by avoiding marriage and getting pregers.
My only other comment is that ‘Til Death sucks and so does The O.C. So someone needs to release the unaired episodes of Happy Hour on YouTube so I can watch the rest of the season instead of The O.C. or ‘Til Death.