The Good Guys: FOX TV Show Cancelled; No Season Two

To no surprise, FOX’s The Good Guys has been cancelled after one season and 20 episodes. The series stars Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks as an unlikely team of Dallas detectives.

The Good Guys debuted last Spring to a disappointing 1.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 4.93 million total viewers. Over the summer months, the ratings seemed to drop each week, hitting a low of a 1.0 rating and 3.42 million viewers.

Despite the poor showing, FOX kept the series on the fall schedule. On Friday nights, the numbers continued to slide. Good Guys hit a series low on October 22nd with a 0.6 rating and just 2.31 million viewers. Episodes typically ranked in last place for the demo in the timeslot. Realistically, no one has been expecting a second season renewal.

The series was shot on location in Dallas. Janis Burklund, head of the Dallas Film Commission, says that her high-ranking contact at Fox Television Studios has confirmed the show’s cancellation. The network hasn’t officially cancelled it but the production studio won’t be making any more episodes. The local area hasn’t had much luck this season. FOX’s Lone Star was cancelled after just two episodes and the episode order for NBC’s Chase has been reduced.

Of The Good Guys, Burkland said, “We liked the show. And they had a great experience here. But the ratings weren’t good. I asked if there was any shot at cable, and he said there didn’t appear to be any shot at that either, and I think it would have done well on cable. It’s not the kind of show network viewers understand — it’s too quirky. It’s one of those shows where either you get it or you don’t. Where cable viewers are more apt to go sampling and try out different stuff, network viewers are looking for more traditional shows. And it had a horrible time slot.”

The TV show’s sets are still intact at a local Dallas studio but will likely be struck in January. The final episode of Good Guys, titled “Partners,” aired on December 10th.

Update: Hanks confirmed the cancellation via his Twitter account on 12/27/10.

What do you think? Are you sorry that Good Guys has been cancelled and won’t be back for season two?