After four years on the air, ABC has decided to pull the plug on Ugly Betty. There won’t be a fifth season but will longtime fans get a true series finale?
Ugly Betty debuted in 2006 and follows young Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) as she navigates her way through the world of high-fashion, working at the trendy magazine Mode. Others in the cast include Eric Mabius, Tony Plana, Ana Ortiz, Becki Newton, Mark Indelicato, Michael Urie, Vanessa Williams, and Ashley Jensen.
After being a modest hit for its first two seasons, the series’ viewership dropped to an average of eight million viewers and a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demo last year. That would usually put a series “on the bubble” but ABC gave it an early renewal. It was pretty clear that the network wanted to try to keep it going to accumulate more episodes for the syndication package.
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The network assigned the series to a Friday night timeslot this season, hoping that the loyal fans would follow it there. Not many did. After cancelling Eastwick, they moved Ugly Betty to a better slot, on Wednesday nights. The ratings haven’t been very good there either.
The show’s fate seemed essentially sealed by Ugly Betty’s syndication deal. While episodes of The Mentalist and NCIS: Los Angeles sold for about $2.2 million each in syndication, Ugly Betty episodes have been licensed to the TV Guide Network for “a low six figures.”
Today, the network and production team made a joint statement, saying, “We’ve mutually come to the difficult decision to make this Ugly Betty’s final season, and are announcing now as we want to allow the show ample time to write a satisfying conclusion. We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series, and felt it was important to give the fans a proper farewell.”
What do you think? Are you surprised that the show’s been cancelled? What would you like to see happen before Ugly Betty goes off the air?
At least there are people watching. A difference of 2.ish million but 5.8m viewers are like only the viewers in North America alone. But have they knew that it is a big hit in S.E. Asia? Well I’m from Singapore and season 4 is going very well. Our regional and local channels are carrying the channel so ABC should be proud about it.
Exactly, I live in Malta and watch it on a local station, that is as you said North America alone there are millions of millions more people watching this series!
Please, Please do not cancel Ugly Betty it is a great series if not the greatest, it has absolutely everything you’d ask for in a show, you will be making a MASSIVE mistake for canceling this so please ABC do not cancel! 🙁 It keeps getting better every time personally I think you should advertise it a bit more and also keep it in a permanent popular time slot!
Please do not cancel Ugly Betty.. I simply adore that Tv Show…. It rocks completely.. It is a very good balance of all emotions. The characters are awesome, each and every one in Ugly Betty has done a stunning job. Please keep the show running..
DONT CANCEL IT!! D:
WTF? I only just found this out! No wonder I’ve found things moving along suddenly faster on the show! I can’t believe they canceled it! It’s one of the best shows out there. It hits home with almost everyone aka it’s a very real show which sends out a positive message to people without hitting you over the head with it or being preachy or insincere. How could they do this?? This is one of the four shows I never miss!
MASSIVE MISTAKE ABC.
I absolutely love that show! I think it keeps getting better all the time. DON’T CANCEL!
ugly betty relates to ordinary people other shows just say how people are rich and famouse this is the only show that realates to us and makes us smile so please dont take it off the air plese please please …..And when you put the show back on i bet alot of people are going to watch t t jut make it more interesting make betty get a new hair cut just do something better i really like this show and so do other people 🙁
why would you cancel the best show in the world and i just started like the episodes. so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont cancel 🙁
Ugly Betty is incredible. It is very disappointing that it’s being cancelled – and I am a baby boomer. I love the show.
I am really disappointed at ABC. THe show is truly unique in its kind. It is in between sitcom and comedy. There are too many shows on police and NCIS and that kind of stuff.. We need shows which are different!!! Please make one more season of Ugly Betty!!!!!!! Pple start watching this series! it’s soo good!! 🙁
No ugly betty is good why would they do this. But an ideal conclusion would be for daniele and betty to get together
I am truly saddened that Ugly Betty has been canceled. My honest opinion is that it was one of the only shows that isn’t trashy reality TV left out there to enjoy. Ugly Betty was fun, flirty, all about fashion and hilarious. An amazing Cast, and great characters. Kudos to the writers and producers. It was the friends of the 20th century and was cut far to short. I think one huge mistake was changing the time of the show. Changing it to Friday night was a terrible decision seeing as I’m guessing a huge chunk of the viewers were… Read more »
I really liked Ugly Betty a lot. This is really disappointing. The way these characters interacted was so entertaining. Cancelling it is a really bad decision. Maybe the networks should stop moving shows all over the place so people can keep track of their favorite shows.
True disappointment. How can they (ABC) do this to again? I really enjoyed “Life on Mars” & “poof” it was gone. I really seem to think when subjects seem a little too close to reality people in charge seem to axe them. Ugly Betty may poked fun at somethings but—it hit home runs on others. I can relate to not fitting in somewhere as both main charatersin Ugly Betty and Life on Mars. I seemed that just as they could have developed them more, it became too complicated for the. For the love of Betty—-rethink this decision and let her,… Read more »
i think they should get daniel and betty together as a couple