Last spring, ABC renewed venerable comedy Scrubs and newbie Better Off Ted, despite their low ratings. Now that they’re back, the network is in a hurry to get rid of them.
Scrubs follows hospital life as seen through the eyes of Dr. J.D. Dorian (Zach Braff). After having left Sacred Heart last season, he’s returned to help teach a new crop of med students. Others in the current cast include Donald Faison, John C. McGinley, Ken Jenkins, Sarah Chalke, Eliza Coupe, Kerry Bishe, Michael Mosley, and Dave Franco.
Better Off Ted follows Ted Crisp (Jay Harrington) and the other employees at Veridian Dynamics, a heartless technology company. The rest of the cast includes Andrea Anders, Jonathan Slavin, Malcolm Barrett, and Portia de Rossi.
Based simply on the ratings, neither ABC sitcom should have been renewed last season. Scrubs had dwindled to an average of 4.97 million viewers and a 2.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic. It was ultimately saved because ABC’s production studio produces the show and another season would bring more money in syndication.
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Last May, Better Off Ted had only aired half of its completed episodes and was averaging a disappointing 1.76 rating and 4.39 million. Though the ratings were quite low, ABC decided to bring the sitcom back for another season. The network programmers supposedly liked the pairing of Ted and Scrubs and hoped that the ratings would improve. When the network began airing the rest of Ted’s first season during the summer, the ratings dropped much further, to an average of 0.74 in the demo and 2.09 million viewers.
The sitcoms have now both returned for the 2009-10 schedule and the ratings are still terrible. Scrubs kicked off this season with a low 2.0 rating in the demo and only 4.5 million viewers. The numbers have dropped since then and last Tuesday’s episode brought in a 1.8 rating and 4.26 million.
Ted debuted with a 1.5 in the demo and 3.82 million. Last week’s installment attracted just a 1.3 and 3.18 million.
To little surprise, ABC has decided to burn off the unaired episodes of both series as quickly as possible. Single installments of each sitcom will air tomorrow night and on the 29th. On New Year’s Day, two episodes of Ted and one of Scrubs will follow the Rose Bowl Game. Then, beginning on January 5th, two installments of each sitcom will run on Tuesday nights. By the end of the month, both sitcoms are expected to have run through their full 13 episode orders.
While the network hasn’t indicated that either series has been cancelled, the decision to burn through the seasons in 60 days certainly isn’t a vote of confidence. Neither Scrubs nor Ted is expected to return, especially in light of the much better performance from newcomers Modern Family and Cougar Town.
What do you think? Do you think Better Off Ted and Scrubs will be cancelled? Will you be sorry to see either one end?
Image courtesy ABC.
Please don’t cancel Ted – it’s probably the best TV show since Arrested Development.
I love Better of Ted. The characters are hilarious and the stories are great. I haven’t laughed so hard at a sitcom for years! I don’t think they advertised it enough. Many of my friends and co-workers hadn’t heard of it at all. I am praying they don’t cancel it!
Please save Ted. If you have not watched start watching now. I have to watch each episode more than once to catch all the jokes. I am usually laughitn too hard from one joke that I miss the next few.
I love BoT. What a funny group of people! I agree with previous comments in that you have to pay attention to the small things that make the show hiliarious. Networks looking for instant gratification should give it a chance. It’ll be one of those cult following shows that people clamor for after it’s gone. Maybe web would be the way to go with it…if anyone has watch the vulgar outtakes from Tues 12 show you’ll see why.
I just discovered Better Off Ted a week ago. It is truly a riot, one of the funniest shows in ages. I am looking forwrd to future episodes and now I find that’s it’s been cancelled?! Give it a chance to find a following.
Better Off Ted is hilarious, probably better than most shows on TV. Does watching on HULU count? i think they need to factor online viewership as people are not sticking to conventional ways of watching their favorite programs anymore. time to change the nielson rating system. Also Scrub needs to be put out out it’s misery. Terrible! it’s really has passed it’s exploration date!
It’s “exploration” date? Really? I hope you were drunk when typing that.
Better off Ted is GREAT! work it , tv people:
~~*~*you have a winner.*~*~~
WISE UP AND MAKE IT KNOWN!
Loved Scrubs, but SADLY, it’s time to let it go.
It is sad that a show that actually takes half a brain to enjoy is cancelled . What have we become that a show that takes a thinking mind to appreciate is so easily thrown away. Better Off Ted is smart and fast and you have to pay attention to the dialog and be awake to understand how hilarious it is.Please don’t take it away from us who are not brain dead .
We love Better Off Ted!!! It is appointment TV for us. Don’t create what would surely be referred to as the “Portia de Rossi Curse” – it’s just not fair. PLEASE don’t cancel BOT. Put it on with “Modern Family” (also great), and cancel “Cougar Town” instead – it is shrill and terrible.
Better Off Ted is simply fantastic! The ratings WILL get there. Run Veridian Dynamics commercials during other shows to catch the “WTF” factor.
ABC if you are making any cash at all on TED, and not losing any, please keep it running. Do something for us on the other side of the screen for once. Ted is one of the most original comedies in years with a great cast. Please don’t burn it. Sacrifice Scrubs, last season’s finale was perfect. We’ll forget that you nullified it’s satisfying and appropriate arc closures with the parody that is the ‘new’ season. It still makes me smile though, I’m not hating. SAVE TED!
Ted is the best sitcom ABC has. Try a different time slot, try promoting it, but definitely don’t cancel it. Canceling Ted would indicate there’s absolutely no hope that ABC will ever be a good network.
My wife and I LOVE both Scrubs and Better off Ted. Scrubs, w/its new cast changes took some getting used to, but it’s still the same fun episode with a dosage of heart tossed in too. BOT is fresh, quick, and excitng comedy. ABC would be plain stupid to cancel both or either.
AGH! My husband and I love Better Off Ted. I have not laughed out loud at a sitcom in a very long time, and this one gets me every singe episode. It is odd, and funny and has a brilliant cast. Scrubs has gasped its last breath I think, but Ted is worth saving.
Keep Better off Ted! this is one of the funniest shows around, the writing is fantastic. The cast are doing a great job. We want to see more 🙂