He reportedly received a call over the weekend from ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson who told him the news — that another season of George Lopez wouldn’t work out financially because the network would lose money.
Admittedly, the series has been down in the ratings but this has been due, at least in part, to ABC’s actions. The network has switched the series’ timeslot several times over the years and has put it opposite ratings powerhouse American Idol many times this season. Though many viewers have complained that the series had run its course, George Lopez has proven to be a reliable quick fix when the network had a schedule hole to fill. The sitcom consistently out-performed other sitcoms in similar timeslots — including Notes from the Underbelly, which incidentally has been renewed for next year.
Lopez believes the cancellation is due in part to the fact that Warner Bros. Television produces his series rather than ABC Television Studios. Some of ABC’s new series, like the one based on the Geiko cavemen commercials, are produced in-house.
With colorful language, Lopez told the LA Times of his frustration, “I get kicked out for a…caveman and shows that I out-performed because I’m not owned by [ABC Television Studios]…So a…Chicano can’t be on TV but a…caveman can? And a Chicano with an audience already? You know when you get in this [TV series business] that shows do not last forever, but this was an important show and to go unceremoniously like this hurts. One hundred seventy people lost their jobs.”
It’s also unfortunate that, because the season-ending episode (now series finale) was taped and aired before the news, neither the cast and crew nor the audience will have a chance to say goodbye. It’s a personal thing to Lopez who said, “They dealt with us from the bottom of the deck, which is hard to take after what was a good run.”
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