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.
One of the most un-funny/stupid shows I’ve ever seen…
Please, please hurry up & replace it.
I tried to like it, but it’s just not working for me. My friends all
feel the same.
All I can say is…..Please do not cancel “Better off Ted”.
I really don’t want to see Better Off Ted show cancelled. It’s too clever a show to go down like that. Scrubs has had it’s run and multiple chances, but Ted gets too many things just right. Ted has an awful timeslot, and I never watch it live. I have no clue why it’s not there with Modern Family anyway. I mean’s NBC’s Leno fiasco aside, at least their Thursday night lineup is incredibly solid. Why can’t ABC take a similar queue and make a decent Wednesday lineup with Ted, Modern Family, The Middle, and Cougar Town? It would be… Read more »
YOU CANNOT CANCEL BETTER OFF TED! it is my absolute favorite show! (plus I can totally relate to the nerdy scientist thing Phil and Lem have going on…) please, ABC, keep Better off Ted around so that i have something to remind me that the lab i work in is not this bad!
Better off Ted is a funny show with good-looking actors. What’s the problem? It seems like there ought to be a good market for it. Scrubs’ new episdoes are a good effort to revitalize a stale franchise. They should both be brought back.
NO NO NO!!! They CANNOT cancel Better Off Ted!!! Best show on TV right now! Absolutely hilarious and, as stated previously, so clever! I would be devastated…
I, as well, am a HUGE fan of Better Off Ted and recommend it to everyone. Not one episode has failed to get me laughing out loud. BUT something to keep in mind, as a employee with a night shift, my enjoyment has been through ABC.com or Hulu.com. Is the network taking those viewing into account?? How many people really watch TV live anymore?? Better Off Ted is just as smart and as funny as Modern Family and should be given more of a chance. Perhaps a some schedule shifting will get a wider audience watching? I must also throw… Read more »
I LOVE Better Off Ted and will be sorry to see it go… wish there was a way to promo the show better (like they do all the OTHER series that I would love to see ended). Good Luck Ted!
Not worried about Scrubs making an exit – it stopped being funny a long time ago and the cast members should have had the dignity to walk away while they could. Better Off Ted is a totally different ball game and is not only funny but remarkably clever. As Jan said two days ago it needs more time to find a proper following.
We’re not better off with Better Off Ted dead! It’s one of the best written shows on air right now — funny, smart, quirky, and yet it manages sometimes to address real issues. I can’t believe the ratings are so low. Let’s save Ted. Facebook everyone you know and tell them to do their duty and watch it!
I love Better Off Ted. This really makes me sad.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE KEEP BEETER OFF TED! IT IS HILARIOUS, AND NO VIEWER CAN BE BLAMED FOR THE INCONSISTENT TIME-SLOTS. ABC WILL NOT SEE ANOTHER SHOW LIKE THIS ONE; GENUINELY HILARIOUS AND RADICALLY DIFFERENT & BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE CURRENTLY AIRING!
don’t watch it on hulu but in the abc episode player. this way at least they’ll know someone is watching. ted is truly a remarkable show and it would be such a pity to no longer be able to laugh with it….
Not Ted! anything but Ted i just fell in live with it on hulu and have been looking forward to future episodes!! the new scrubs can go, its noting like the original, but not ted….i mean compared to modern family better off ted is in a league of its own…
Nooooo! Don’t cancel yet ANOTHER of my favorite shows! Better Off Ted is probably the best thing airing right now – Portia De Rossi and Jonathan Slavin are awesome in it.