Last spring, ABC renewed venerable comedy Scrubs and newbie Better Off Ted, despite their low ratings. Now that they’re back, the network is in a hurry to get rid of them.
Scrubs follows hospital life as seen through the eyes of Dr. J.D. Dorian (Zach Braff). After having left Sacred Heart last season, he’s returned to help teach a new crop of med students. Others in the current cast include Donald Faison, John C. McGinley, Ken Jenkins, Sarah Chalke, Eliza Coupe, Kerry Bishe, Michael Mosley, and Dave Franco.
Better Off Ted follows Ted Crisp (Jay Harrington) and the other employees at Veridian Dynamics, a heartless technology company. The rest of the cast includes Andrea Anders, Jonathan Slavin, Malcolm Barrett, and Portia de Rossi.
Based simply on the ratings, neither ABC sitcom should have been renewed last season. Scrubs had dwindled to an average of 4.97 million viewers and a 2.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic. It was ultimately saved because ABC’s production studio produces the show and another season would bring more money in syndication.
Loading ...
|
Last May, Better Off Ted had only aired half of its completed episodes and was averaging a disappointing 1.76 rating and 4.39 million. Though the ratings were quite low, ABC decided to bring the sitcom back for another season. The network programmers supposedly liked the pairing of Ted and Scrubs and hoped that the ratings would improve. When the network began airing the rest of Ted’s first season during the summer, the ratings dropped much further, to an average of 0.74 in the demo and 2.09 million viewers.
The sitcoms have now both returned for the 2009-10 schedule and the ratings are still terrible. Scrubs kicked off this season with a low 2.0 rating in the demo and only 4.5 million viewers. The numbers have dropped since then and last Tuesday’s episode brought in a 1.8 rating and 4.26 million.
Ted debuted with a 1.5 in the demo and 3.82 million. Last week’s installment attracted just a 1.3 and 3.18 million.
To little surprise, ABC has decided to burn off the unaired episodes of both series as quickly as possible. Single installments of each sitcom will air tomorrow night and on the 29th. On New Year’s Day, two episodes of Ted and one of Scrubs will follow the Rose Bowl Game. Then, beginning on January 5th, two installments of each sitcom will run on Tuesday nights. By the end of the month, both sitcoms are expected to have run through their full 13 episode orders.
While the network hasn’t indicated that either series has been cancelled, the decision to burn through the seasons in 60 days certainly isn’t a vote of confidence. Neither Scrubs nor Ted is expected to return, especially in light of the much better performance from newcomers Modern Family and Cougar Town.
What do you think? Do you think Better Off Ted and Scrubs will be cancelled? Will you be sorry to see either one end?
Image courtesy ABC.
scrubs is being runoff for syndication.
What is going on with ABC??? Why do they continue to cancel good and/or great shows?
Advertise!!! Promote the shows!!!
I love Better off Ted and have been singing its praise to everyone I know……ABC really has something going in the comedy department between this and their Wednesday night line up. I would really hate to see another great show loose out to the predictable formula shows shoved down our throats everyday. SAVE THIS SHOW!!
Better Off Ted is one of my favorite shows. I hope it doesn’t get canceled.
I have to agree with the previous commenter in that Better Off Ted is a GREAT show. It’s too bad they don’t have the guts to keep it going and let it gain some strength viewership-wise. PLEASE DON’T CANCEL THIS SHOW!!!
Better Off Ted is a great show. Unfortunately, it probably will get canceled because the masses prefer to watch “reality tv” programming.
Please as if there is a better character than Veronica out there right now? And its got the great sense of funky humor that all the new shows have so what the heck is wrong with the viewing public out there? And I agree…why watch biggest loser (u have seen one fat kid lose weight why watch another) or bacherlor (its called go to a bar you loser) because every episode is the same thing. And while I love scrubs I think it was all nice and tied up last season and aside from Denise I don’t like any of… Read more »
I love Better Off Ted…. It’s one of the best comedy shows on ABC in a long time. I hope ABC don’t make a mistake and cancel the show.
I love Better Off Ted. It is well written and well produced. It is too bad its dry humor is underappreciated by the masses!
Better of Ted is a great original show that is funny. The ratings are not capturing the true numbers of viewers. Are the considering modern technology such as Hulu, DVR and portable media devices…that show is watched and talked about, and often. Wonder what the sales people that have to fit ads during those slots have to say about it…the old Nelson rating system has sucked for years. Looks like Nelson might kill Ted also.
Love Better Off Ted. It’s a shame ABC doesn’t move it to a better spot that offers a great lead in. There aren’t that many great comedies left so I will be sad to see it go.
Scrubs new format is not working. They should of let last seasons final episode be the series finale letting a great comedy go out on a high note.
What I don’t understand is, Why doesn’t ABC plug Better Off Ted into the 8PM timeslot left open by Hank? Or move The Middle to 8 and plug Ted into the 830. It’ll play well off The Middle’s quirk and Modern Family’s wit.
Better Off Ted is a funny show that needs some proper exposure. Why let it die without giving it a fighting chance.
Scrubs isn’t what it used to be. No Carla, Janitor or Elliot and J.D. won’t be around for too much longer and when Scrubs is mentioned only two of the characters that come to mind will be left! I don’t think they should have brought it back because of the different dynamics even with good jokes it’s just not as good. And the hospital’s gone too!
I love Scrubs!!! I always will, Im a die hard fan, who was sad to see it go. Now that it is back for the third time, Im not really looking forward to seeing it leave again. I watch the re-runs all the time. Everyday in fact. I really like Better off Ted. I love Portia De Rossi in this show, Love the character she plays. I dont really see what other choices ABC has to replace them. Not alot of shows just starting out do as well as Modern Family. If ABC is getting some viewers they should be… Read more »
Better Off Ted is a FANTASTIC show, and the network would lose a great show if it were cancelled!!!!!!!!!!! Why would they keep old, overdone, and burnt out shows like The Bachelor, Wife Swap, and Dancing with the Stars, in which every episode is a generic repeat of the one before it, when they have an original and genuinely funny show like Ted?!?!? I think to drum up interest in the show, we should all email out links to the “Racial Sensitivity” episode along with links to the recent story where a big American tech company had a similar problem… Read more »