CBS has long had a problem finding the right sitcom to round out their Monday night line-up. Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, and The Big Bang Theory work well but the network needs a solid fourth player. As this season began, it looked like Accidentally on Purpose just might be the one. No longer. It’s been cancelled.
Accidentally on Purpose revolves around thirty-something Billie Chase (Jenna Elfman) after she breaks up with her boyfriend/boss (Grant Show). She has a one-night fling with a much younger man, Zack (Jon Foster), and becomes pregnant. Billie ultimately decides to keep both the baby and the guy. The series also features Lennon Parham, Nicolas Wright, Ashley Jensen, and Pooch Hall.
The TV show got off to a pretty good start with a 3.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 8.91 million viewers. On Monday nights, the first 15 episodes ended up averaging a 3.1 in the demo and 8.23 million viewers. That’s actually quite good but the network has very high expectations because the TV show is surrounded by their very popular comedies. The real test is to see how well the series will perform on another night.
After a hiatus, CBS brought Accidentally on Purpose to Wednesday nights. With The New Adventures of Old Christine as a lead-in, the ratings fell like a rock. The three original episodes averaged a 1.8 in the key demo and 5.72 million viewers. If there was any hope for the series, these numbers dashed them.
CBS has now confirmed that the sitcom has been cancelled and will not be returning for season two. CBS can afford to be picky in what sitcoms it keeps and has also cancelled Gary Unmarried after two seasons and Old Christine after five.
Fortunately, the network aired all 18 episodes of Accidentally on Purpose and viewers got to see Billie give birth. Unfortunately, they won’t get to see how she and Zack cope as new parents.
What do you think? Are you sorry that Accidentally on Purpose has been cancelled or did CBS make the right choice?
Get our free email alerts on TV shows in this article:
Image courtesy CBS.
PISSED off. This is one of the best shows in a very long time!! Also, did not know it was moving.
I loved this show and I absolutely can not believe they are canceling it. I looked forward to this show every week and it made me have a better Monday. Also, I agree I had no idea the show was moved to Wednesday. I thought the show was on a break…did someone forget how to advertise???
Our family LOVED this show – I also agree that it was never advertised that it was moved to Wed night. Then it followed shows that were in trouble anyway. We don’t watch Christine or Gary unmarried so We DIDN’T know Accidentally on Purpose was moved. i wish they would reconsider this show being canceled — It was FUNNY & I love Jenna she is so funny. We need more funny shows & less reality & talent shows. We live reality & we are TIRED of talent type shows. We WANT TO LAUGH !!!!
WTF!!!! I officially hate CBS i had to go online to catch up on this show and finally caught up in time just to watch the last episode!!!! Fox or TBS should pick this show up because honestly it had great potential. It’s all a matter of finding the right time slot, and promoting it a little more. If it hadn’t been for my friend i would have never even discovered this show. and now i find out it’s cancelled this is horrible!!! AH!!! why are good shows with potential being dropped it’s so stupid.
My whole family loved this show! I can’t even believe they cancelled this one over some of the other stupid shows they decided to keep.
Due to the popular use of DVRs, I didn’t even know the show had been moved until I didn’t have it on my Monday night lineup of recordings (I was thinking that it was on a break of sorts since none of my shows seem to align anymore). Quite sad that they cancelled it, I think it fit in the line-up very well!
I cannnot believe this show was cancelled!
I can’t believe they cancelled this show! I’m actually pretty angry about it. It is rare that I find a show I actually enjoy watching and this was the first one in years, now it’s done. If they had informed the viewers that it was moving time slots then the ratings would have stayed just as high but instead they just quit showing new episodes for weeks with no notice and move it to a new time slot. What is wrong with the heads of these networks? They seem to be totally lacking in common sense anymore.
Whats wrong with U guys in american tv stations? First U canceled the Samantha Who?(which was hilarious) and now Accidentally On Purpose which I loved so much (specially Abbie the sister of Billie). Shame on U! Is the Big Bang theory the last funny sitcom on air?
Greetings from Poland and please back the Accidentally On Purpose on air!
Ok i totally agree with you there! I love the show so much and i personally feel that The Big Bang Theory is getting a little old. Besides its stupid. Well now i know why they guy’s at CBS thought it was great!
She had the baby so it’s over. In reality they’d spend the next year and a half together then get divorced because they don’t belong together and her BF won’t grow up for another 3-5 years.
It was a great show, but badly conceived (lol punny). Basing the entire show on her being preggers set it up for failure when she domino’ed.
actually i think they could have gone off on this. she get’s prego and it’s only the beginning. a sit-com about two people who fucked up and end up falling for each other and now have to raise a kid can pretty much write itself. I mean think about all the crazy stuff that happens from the moment of being conceived to however old you let the kid get it would be easy to think of things to write about. however it’s over and CBS is ran by idiots who didn’t realize in order to get the views they wanted… Read more »
I think the writers were so good that they could have made any of the outcomes, that you mentioned, turn out funny. Sure, people who didn’t actually watch the show might assume that it was a dead end story, but it had so much else going for it!Olivia and Davis were headed in a hilarious direction. I could imagine him going to Scotland with her and wearing a kilt. What about Abbie’s husband realizing that he is gay? I really looked forward to watching Billie and Zach and the cute baby. It certainly had enough bang to go more seasons.
I hate that it has been cancelled. Everytime you get interested in a show anymore, it is cancelled. I think the show had a good following and if they left it in the original time slot it would have still been getting those ratings
i completely agree witth this! i hate it when you get into the show and love it then after a couple of seasons its gone! no warning they just stop! and they dont even give you an ending or anything!
If they would have told us they were moving it to a different night, it would have gotten better ratings.
exactly!! there was no publicity for it at all!
Loved the show……specially Davis.. Sorry to see it go……….
I can’t believe this is cancelled! This show had some of the best one-liners and crazy characters I’ve seen in a while. I really liked it and think it should be brought back!
I agree that show was amazing. Shocked that it got cancelled
Wow!!!! I can’t believe this show has not been picked up…..I absolutely love Jenna Elfman….I remember watching her in Dharma and Greg…..I wish the network would give this show another shot!!!!I would love to see “Billie and Zac” as parents!!!!