Tonight marks the fourth season finale of Everybody Hates Chris. What are the chances that the CW sitcom will return for year five?
Everybody Hates Chris is inspired by the teenage experiences of Chris Rock and narrated by the comedian. The sitcom follows Chris (Tyler James Williams), an average kid who’s surrounded by a bunch of crazy characters who, from his point of view, don’t seem to like him very much. Others in the cast include Vincent Martella, Terry Crews, Tequan Richmond, Tichina Arnold, Imani Hakim, Jacqueline Mazarella, Travis T. Flory, Kevontay Jackson, Ernest Thomas, Jeris Poindexter, Jackee Harry, Michael Estime, Antonio Fargas, Blake Hightower, and Todd Bridges.
The sitcom began on the old UPN network in September 2005. In year one, the sitcom averaged 4.3 million viewers and a 1.7/5 rating/share of the coveted 18-49 demographic. While that may not sound like much, it was one of the network’s most successful shows, just a few steps below America’s Next Top Model.
In Chris’ sophomore year, its first on the CW network, viewership dropped to 2.7 million and a 1.1/3 in the demo. That was a significant hit, placing it just about soon-to-be cancelled Veronica Mars.
During the 2008 – 2009 season, when the industry was brought to a standstill by the writers strike, Chris was one of the few shows that completed its entire 22 episode season in advance. Despite being one of the few shows to produce a full 22 episode season, the ratings were worse. Viewership dropped to an average of 2.33 million and just a .8 rating.
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When the show was renewed last season, CW President Dawn Ostroff, said that Chris had “consistently proven itself to be one of the best comedies on television… This is a show we want viewers to associate with the CW.”
That was a nice sentiment but the network sent the sitcom to a little-watched Friday night timeslot. To no surprise, viewership dropped even lower, to an average of 1.69 million viewers and a 0.6/2 rating/share.
So, viewership has dropped significantly in the past couple years and the network is now targeting its programming almost exclusively towards young women. The CW is essentially giving up on sitcoms and will have only 10 hours of primetime to fill next season. Unlike fellow “on the bubble” sitcom The Game, Chris already has 88 episodes which is just enough for syndication.
Rock decided to make it even easier for the programming execs by making the season finale a fitting end to the series. In the episode, Chris is faced with repeating the 10th grade so he decides to drop out and take the G.E.D. test instead. Williams says, “An envelope arrives (with his test results), but before we find out the results, we fade to black. If it ends here, we ended it the right way.”
Will Chris be back next season? It looks very doubtful but we’ll know for sure on May 21st when the network holds its advertiser upfront presentation.
What do you think? Should the sitcom come back or is it time to go?
Image courtesy CW.
I WATCHED EVERY SINGLE EPISODE OF EHC IT WAS THE BEST SITCOM I HAVE EVER WATCHED AT LEAST LET IT COME BACK FOR 1 MORE SEASON
It would be a shame to cancel Everybody Hates Chris. It’s one of the funniest sitcoms ever, with lots of jokes, great period of time and storyline. I really hope this isn’t the end. Sitcoms are not what they used to be, and this is the only one that kept that spirit.
i love this show, they must be ******* with my, **** them if they cancel the show
I think Everybody Hates Chris needs to stay on TV. I love Terry Crews and Tichina Arnold. I don’t know what I would do if it were taken off the air. Even though they kept changing the day and time it aired, I found it and watched every single episode. It truly is the BEST thing on television!!!
Everybody Hates Chris has to return, it’s one of the best comedyshows ever. The jokes, the nostalgia(just think of the songs), the storyline.
And how about this: We won’t know if Chris passed his G.E.D. test.
Come on!!
Season 5 here we come!
Everybody hates Chris is a great show, me and my family watch it all the time. It seems as though all the black shows are getting cut such as “The Game”, “Girl Friends”, and “All of Us”. These people isn’t understanding the demographic, most people forgets it comes on, there’s no advertisement for the show; i even forgot it came on. This a great show, i think they should see it to a network that can boost the number of views and ratings such as BET, this is where all the cut shows go like “Waynes Brothers”,” Fresh Prince”, “All… Read more »
Serious, this show should back on the air, no doubt about it
this is reason why our world is corrupt, they take away everything that
is good
@I: Sorry, the show has been cancelled.
i recon this show is coming back because it says a episode “everybody hates a golddigger” on imdb no date but they never get there facts wrong.
it will be a shame if it gets cancelled, it is one of my favourite shows, and the way the ending was put in season 4 i think they should make a finale 5th season.
Why do we lose all of our black shows? This is a great family show! Do we have to watch all the other silly Sitcoms on the air, that are not as good and have very few black family values.
We have all these HD channels and networks and can’t find a place for a show like this other than the internet?
This was a great family oriented show and more importantly an accurate alternative take on the lifestyle of a misunderstood demographic. It is sad to see it on the chopping block…..
I personally think that Everybody Hates Chris should get a 5th and final season, since I feel that the so called finale was a rather cheap and incomplete ending for a wonderful series.
It should come back!
Hi i think everybody hates Chris Should return. My family and i love this show it is funny and entertaining. so please don,t take it off the airways.