The Greg Kinnear-starring drama and the three comedies won't return after just one season each.
- May 8, 2014
AceShowbiz - After ordering "Gotham", "Red Band Society" and "Empire" to series, FOX makes room for these upcoming shows by canceling the underperforming ones. Those which don't survive the chopping block are freshmen series "Rake", "Surviving Jack", "Dads" and "Enlisted".
"Rake", which marked Greg Kinnear's first regular TV role, had been struggling since its launch, debuting to only a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49 despite an "American Idol" lead-in. "Surviving Jack", led by "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" alum Christopher Meloni, got the same chance to debut after "American Idol", but failed to attract viewers with just a 1.3 rating in the key adult demo and 5.1 million viewers.
"Dads", meanwhile, wasn't well received by critics even before it premiered due to ethnic jokes, which sparked racism accusation. Ratings wise, the Seth MacFarlane-executive produced sitcom wasn't too bad compared to comedies "Brooklyn Nine-Nine", "New Girl" and "The Mindy Project" which have scored renewals.
"Enlisted", despite receiving pretty decent reviews, never had a chance to shine, being put on the tough Friday slot. Series creator and executive producer Kevin Biegel tweeted after the cancellation, "#enlisted is trending right now. So if it's possible to put a show on twitter, maybe we can do that."
On the comedy development slate, FOX has passed on "Dead Boss" starring Jane Krakowski, "Fatrick" and "No Place Like Home". Meanwhile, discussions are still ongoing about pilots "Sober Companion" starring Justin Long and "Cabot College" produced by Tina Fey.
