After being ping-ponged around the ABC schedule for two years, the network has cancelled the series about Marin (Anne Heche) and the residents of Elmo, Alaska. In retrospect, the writing’s been on the wall for awhile.
When Men in Trees premiered in the fall of 2006, it attracted a respectable number of viewers. Unfortunately, the show never seemed to be a priority for the network — possibly because it’s not produced by ABC’s in-house production company. Though its viewership was slowly growing, the TV show’s first season was cut short due to ABC’s scheduling of October Road (which is produced by ABC Studios). Instead of airing all 22 episodes, the network opted to air just 17 and added the remaining five episodes to the series’ season two order, in preparation for a possible writers strike.
When the writers strike hit in November 2007, it was expected that Men in Trees would benefit from the lack of original scripted programming on network television. That never seemed to happen and the series was put on hiatus in December. It returned once the strike was over in February and ABC cut Men in Trees’ second season order to 19 episodes, including the five from season one.
There series is on hiatus once again and isn’t scheduled to return until after the May sweeps period is finished — a sure sign that a network has lost faith in a series. ABC sent tapes of both Men in Trees and October Road to Lifetime to see if they’d be interested in taking on either series. They weren’t.
To little surprise, series creator Jenny Bicks was informed of the Men in Trees cancellation last week. She lamented to TV Guide, “I wish the show had not been moved six times and put onto two long hiatuses. No show could survive that.”
She says, “I am really proud of the work we did on MIT… A huge thank you to our supportive fans.”
On the positive side, Bicks realized that the series might not be back for season three and the cast and crew did some extra filming. As a result, an alternative ending for this season’s finale was filmed to serve as a series finale.
Men in Trees is scheduled to return to ABC on May 28th. If the network lets it remain in that Wednesday night timeslot for three episodes, the series finale should air on June 11, 2008. Based on the network’s track record with this show, it’s hard to say if that will actually happen. Stay tuned! 
I hadn’t heard that Men in Trees had been cancelled by ABC, but recently I started seeing a couple of the actors in other series and became suspicious, so today I checked the internet and got the news. Coming the same week as the cancellation of Boston Legal and the addition of Scrubs to ABC’s line up really demonstrated that ABC is not a network which is interested in quality adult programming. I already knew that my baby-boomer age group was not of interest to advertisers, but this trend has really soured me on ABC as a network. I realize… Read more »
I loved men in trees…………. I watched every single episode from the beginning. I just so happened to miss what I guess was condsidered the finale and Im so mad!!!! This was a great show that didnt revolve around drugs sex and violence, and my young children could watch too…. I never will know who ends up with who and if anyone gets married!!! This show was one of the few that I really enjoyed watching and I hope that the idiots at ABC figure it out and bring it back!!!!
im so sick to hear that they cancelled men in trees that was one of the only shows that i loved to watch and as every one else said to get rid of it and leave all this other crap on like all these csi shows every show now is nothing about anything except sex drugs and murder, why cant they leave on one decent show like mit for the rest of us that have morals. PLEASE SOMEONE PICK THIS SHOW UP AND BELIEVE ME YOU WILL HAVE VEIWERS. i need some answers to this show i watched every time… Read more »
I am sickened by the cancelling of this show, it was one of the best shows on television! I couldn’t wait every week for it to be on!!! I am SOOOOO sick of seeing crime shows on television, it seems like that’s all that gets picked up year after year. How many CSI’s are there? How many Law and Order’s? How about Dateline, etc. These shows are popular I understand, but enough already!!! All 4 networks are jammed with that crap and I am so tired of trying to find good, watchable shows anymore. I was totally hooked on MIT,… Read more »
I, too, can’t believe this show was canceled. One looked forward to seeing the next wpisode and the settings were beautiful. Everyone did such an amazing job with this show. ABC just doesn’t get it and why we very rarely watch television anymore – everything worth watching is canceled!!!
will ABC ever learn.. October Road and Men in trees what is wrong with ABC!!!
and I am sure Womens Murder Club will be next – ABC IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG!!! I CANNOT believe they got rid of my Favorite show!!! I just figured they would bring it back in the second half of the season. I am so sick of the way these networks just get rid of shows without any warning and without wrapping them up! They expect us to watch and when we get invested in the show, they pull the plug! At least write a finale!! The fans and YOUR audience deserve that much!! I am soooo upset right now! I am sick sick sick. I have half a mind to get rid of my tv… Read more »
Another great show… gone I’ll miss everyone from Elmo, and I hate it that I’ll never know who ends up with who and how it all works out! thats just too darn bad!
I can’t believe they got rid of Men in trees. It’s one of the few shows you can watch with your children in the room and not cringe every minute or so. These other shows are so over the top with drugs, killing, and lude sex. Please bring back one of the only family shows that we all enjoyed so much.
I can’t believe it’s been cancelled; I thought for sure they would bring it back. I think that you didn’t give it a chance; you had it all over the place and broke up the schedule so no one knew when it was on then you cancelled it. What is wrong with you??? The character where funny and entertaining as the actors are incredible. There is so much that isn’t fit to watch on TV and I loved that show. It’s a shame. This is just why so many times we switch to other channels than watch the National Prime… Read more »
I have to say that I was very upset that this show, ‘Men In Trees’ was cancelled. I have been hooked to and watched this from the very first episode, I have never been able to catch a show from the very beginning but my mother-in-law was in town and we found the show on accident and were hooked watched the show and from that point on. I made sure that if I wasnt able to be home for it that it was recorded to watch later and every week my mother-in-law and I would call each other during the… Read more »
I still am upset that they canceled this show. What a bunch of losers there are over at ABC. The deciding factor was the fact that the production company was not ABC. So they yanked it. They kept the rediculous show Sex, Love and Money but there you go, shows you where their morals are. Taking off a fabulous family oriented TV show and leaving filth. The characters were great. The story line was great. The whole show was very creative and well thought out. It also doesn’t say much for Lifetime that they wouldn’t even pick it up. Shows… Read more »
I am also dissappointed about Men in Trees being canceled it was funny as well as good. I watched it from the moment of conception(first airdate). I wondered if ABC was deliberatly trying to cancel the show.
Who do I talk to about bringing back a program called Men In Trees on ABC. Freda.
I live in Scotland and LOVE LOVE LOVE MIT. Gutted that they have cancelled it and to top it off they haven’t released it on DVD!! I don’t know what ABC were thinking of