Melissa McCarthy is finally coming back to television and she has a home, thanks to CBS’s decision to cancel “The Millers” early into its second season. “The Millers” aired its final episode on Monday. After a Thanksgiving break, “Mike & Molly” will slide back into its Monday home beginning Dec. 8
Despite the addition of Sean Hayes to the cast of Will Arnett‘s “The Millers,” not to mention the ongoing breakout potential of Emmy-winner Margo Martindale, CBS pulled the plug on the show four episodes into its under-performing sophomore run.
“The Millers” moved from Thursdays, where it had been averaging between 9 and 10 million viewers, to its new Monday home this season, following “2 Broke Girls.” It’s ratings have dropped every week, coming in below 6.5 million with its Nov. 10 episode.
In five seasons, “Mike & Molly” has never rated that low, though the sitcom did drop below 7 million for the first time at the end of Season 4. But with 92 episodes in the can, it’s already well-established and perhaps more importantly, it launched in syndication this fall.
Not only could this improve its ratings fortunes, as it did for CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother,” but additional episodes produced can funnel straight into those lucrative syndication deals.
“Mike & Molly” Season 5 kicks off Monday, Dec. 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS.