Last week, fans were upset to hear that FOX had axed newbie sitcom Breaking In after just a handful of weeks on the air. Though the sitcom’s numbers were pretty good, the series lost a huge portion of the American Idol lead-in audience and it seemed like the network felt they could do better with the timeslot.
Not long after the cancellation news, word came that Breaking In might not be dead after all. FOX and Sony Pictures TV were looking into possible ways to keep the series alive.
There’s one episode left and the network has now decided to see how it will do in another timeslot, this time paired with the already-renewed Raising Hope sitcom. If it does well enough, FOX might reverse its decision.
Co-creator and executive producer Adam F. Goldberg tells TV Guide that the cancellation came as a surprise because he believes that the network loves the cast and the show and have been pleased with the ratings. He notes that FOX entertainment president Kevin Reilly called the cancellation “a heartbreaker” and wasn’t even fully committed to it when he called Goldberg to give him the bad news, saying that it wasn’t a definite pass.
Goldberg knows that schedule change comes at the last minute but hopes that enough people will find it and tune in for the season (hopefully not series) finale.
In addition to tonight’s ratings, Breaking In’s future may have a lot to do with the network being able to find a compatible series to pair it with. Goldberg said, “They just really don’t know what to do with it… When you have a family show or a relationship show, they really know how to promote that and make that a hit. But if you have a show about a bunch of geniuses who do heists every day, that’s hard for any network to figure out.”
What do you think? Is Breaking In worth saving? If you were programming the network, where would you put it?
Wondering where the rest of your shows stand? Check our FOX cancel/renew page.
Image courtesy FOX.
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99 Comments on "Breaking In: Last Chance to Save the Cancelled Sitcom?"
I hate when networks cancel good shows just because they think the ratings are low.
Put this on TNT to air with Leverage. Basically, the same thing.
Not only should it not be cancelled but it should be and hour!!!
Please save this show! I stumbled upon it in my On Demand primetime shows when I was sick. I had never even heard of it. By the end of the day I had watched every episode in the cue and set up a series recording on the DVR.
As far as how to market it… Sell it to USA Network. They know how to market smart funny and quirky shows. That would leave a spot for another cartoon for Fox to market.
Have you noticed that no sitcom about smart people who act smart exists? Breaking In did the unthinkable on network TV by having smart people do smart things in a half hour sitcom format. Every other half hour sitcom is about morons acting like morons, or in the case of Big Bang Theory, supposedly smart people acting like morons. Breaking In was also one of the few nerd/geek shows on TV that appreciates that audience.
I don’t want it to end, but if it has to, at least make un-aired episodes available. I want to learn how OZ knows what people are going to do before they do.
Damnnnnnnnn! I just watched the last episode and checked when was the next episode supposed to be released… I can’t understand why they decide to stop a show just like that, without giving it any chance. People didn’t even get the summer, while the others are on pause, to realize how awesome it is.
Please give it a chance, and let us get more fun from Breaking In !!!!!!! I’m convinced it could also get a big success abroad, I was already suggesting some friends to watch it and some became adept in only 1 episode.
no don’t cancel this show, its one of my families favorite.
This is a great show – very creative and different – it’s nice to see something smart and funny on TV instead of reality shows, dumb sitcoms and lawyer shows. Please don’t cancel it.
The only problem I have with breaking in it should be an hour. I’m tired of relationship shows & reality shows. I will def be dissapointed in fox if they cancel another show I like!
Please don’t cancel Breaking In, it’s got huge potentials and a great cast to be a long lasting sitcom. Me and my girlfriend both love it! Give it another chance!
I don’t watch American Idol. So its lead-in had no affect on my watching Breaking In. I simply tuned in on the season premiere, upon changing channels after Survivor. I decided to watch the series after that. I’m a Leverage fan (airs on TBS), and I think Breaking In is the same type of show, with enough differences to capture my interest.
IMHO, networks don’t give shows decent opportunities before canceling them. They say it’s because the audience is fickle but I think it’s more that audiences are afraid to be loyal because the NETWORKS are fickle.