Last week, in an attempt to do damage control from the effects of the ratings juggernaut known as American Idol, ABC reshuffled its Wednesday night sitcom schedule. But will that move be enough to save newbie sitcom The Knights of Prosperity? Probably not. It looks like the show’s fate may already be decided.
The Knights of Prosperity debuted on Wednesday, January 3, 2007 on ABC. The sitcom follows a gang of misfits (the “Knights”) who come up with the idea to burgle rock-legend Mick Jagger’s luxury apartment. The show was initially going to be called Let’s Rob Jeff Goldblum but was changed to Let’s Rob Mick Jagger when Goldblum’s Raines pilot for NBC was picked up. That titled was changed to Knights of Prosperity, perhaps at the request of Jagger who appeared in the premiere episode. The series features actors Donal Logue, Sofia Vergara, Lenny Venito, Maz Jobrani, Kevin Michael Richardson and Josh Grisetti.
Up against the ratings hog Sugar Bowl, the debut of The Knights of Prosperity garnered a 4.4 rating (less than five million households). The next week, up against regular competition, Knights attracted 3.5 million households. Then, once American Idol hit, things got really bad. The latest episode of Knights dropped once again with just over 2.5 million households.
In moving the sitcom from 9pm to 8:30pm it seems that ABC has some faith in Knights of Prosperity and is trying to save it. Still, it looks like the sitcom’s fate may already sealed. One source has reported that ABC has told the Knights writing staff that they won’t be ordering additional episodes beyond the initial 13-episode order (like the “back nine” episodes to fill out a full season). There’s no word of Knights being pulled from the primetime schedule but this does mean that the show is essentially finished.
No word on the fate of sister sitcom In Case of Emergency. It’s been getting equally poor ratings but is still stuck fending for itself it the sitcom’s regular timeslot. Up against Idol? Talk about an emergency…stay tuned! 
Love the Knights of Prosperity! It’s an adorable show and is frequently laugh-out-loud funny. Why judge it against American Idol?
I think that the stations need to take into account the number of people who record these shows to watch later or watch them online. I watch about half my shows online — those viewings aren’t counted in ratings, but it doesn’t mean I don’t love the show!!!
if abc cancels such a good show i am officially done with them, i watch k.o.p. online at work and have gotten a lot of others to start watching, they need to give it better advertising first and then make a decision
they should cancel acording to jim and then change the time slots around becuase I.C.E and knights are the best shows on tv right now
KNIGHTS should have been on Fox. It’s way too funny for ABC. Fox has FAMILY GUY and SIMPSONS that they could have paired KNIGHTS with to make a laugh-riot night of TV … and, they literally couldn’t have put it up against American Idol (which blows). ABC has it next to GEORGE LOPEZ and ACCORDING TO JIM!? (Parden me while I vomit.) If they cancel KNIGHTS, ABC has officially become the ultimate SUCK of TV. I don’t even know if that grammatically makes sense, but you get the point. LONG LIVE THE KNIGHTS OF PROSPERITY!!!/>:)
The Knights of Prosperity is a great show. I didn’t think it would be worth watching at first, but in a stretch of boredom, I decided to watch the pilot online. I have not missed an episode since. It’s genius. There is nothing like it on TV. Maybe it just needs a bit more advertisement to get people like me to give it a shot.
American Idol is garbage. I can’t believe so many actually enjoy that crap.
Such a shame…I’ve been DVR’ing KoP and finally got my husband to watch it yesterday…sad …he just requested that I keep recording and now it’s being cancelled.
It’s silly fun and we need more of that.
WHY!?!?!??!?!
Finally something funny I can watch to counter the few dramas I tune in for regularly on other networks and now I’m reading it’s in danger of cancellation. Is ABC simply against shows with ethnic diversity and quality comedy? Killing the Freddy Prinze show I could understand but this…this is a damn crime. The dialogue is hilarious and every character is completely loveable with Kevin Michael and Maz at the top of the heap. In point of fact this is the first show I could stand to see Donald Logue on. I grabbed all the episodes from a friend’s dvr… Read more »
This was a really funny show! Let us watch until they actually rob/fail to rob Mic Jagger and then let you ABC jerks cancel the show.
I’m not much on watching TV shows, but caught the first show of “KNIGHTS OF PROSPERITY” and have been coming back every since. Not sure what Robert is talking about …. I love the chemistry of the cast and I actually laugh out loud. My only critism is the number of commercials. Sofia is hot … Kevin Michael is hillarious …. Josh is incredible! Can only hope there will be another season.
This totally sucks.
The Knights of Prosperity is an EXCELLENT show! It’s awesome to see something so different and in tune with Pop Culture! I LOVE IT and will be there to watch every episode that airs! To cancel this great show would be a CRIME! LONG LIVE THE KNIGHTS OF PROSPERITY! Open your eyes America, can’t you see how Incredible SOFIA VERGARA is! She’s reason enough to watch! DUH!
I am a faithful American Idol fan..but one show that would keep me DVRing ABC’s showing at the time American Idol is on would be to see them bring back the best one they had and canceled and that would “Day Break”
Come on ABC…GET A CLUE!..YOU HAD THE RIGHT SHOW AND MESSED UP BIG TIME THIS TIME AROUND!! Pick up Reba from CW..and run it next to According to Jim from 7-8 CT..and then Day Break from 8-9 and Lost from 9-10 Central time and you own Weds night for me!!!
I could care less about Knights as it had a great idea for a new comedy, but they take the jokes too far and the dialog is awful. If they didn’t have these problems it might have formed an international following as it is aired up here in Canada on The Comedy Network (Our Comedy Central) along with ABC. What really saddens me to hear is the trouble I.C.E. is in, because it is one of the more clever fast paced comedies. The actors not only are good, but have unbelievable chemestry. If you have not seen In Case of… Read more »