You’ve still got “Fuller House,” John Stamos. Rob Lowe, well, update your resume.
On Thursday, Fox canceled freshman sitcoms “Grandfathered” and “The Grinder,” as well as animated series “Bordertown.” The network also officially confirmed that “Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life” would not be returning, which should be a shock to absolutely nobody.
Stamos and Josh Peck starred in the lone run of “Grandfathered,” while Lowe and Fred Savage anchored legal comedy “The Grinder.” The very-low-rated “Bordertown” featured the voices of Hank Azaria, Judah Friedlander and Alex Borstein.
Young-skewing comedy “Cooper Barrett” had already been shelved toward the end of its initial order.
“Grandfathered” fared OK in Nielsen numbers, though it had the benefit of an early primetime time slot, when everyone is awake and in front of their television. “The Grinder” had a rougher go later on in the evening but was generally considered the funnier comedy.
While “Bordertown” was a no-brainer cancellation, Fox hemmed and hawed a bit more over the two live action shows. The TV ratings for “Grandfathered” were nearly good enough (by Fox standards) to bring it back for a Season 2, while any optimism about a “Grinder” sophomore run stemmed solely from network co-chiefs Dana Walden and Gary Newman’s personal appreciations of the show’s creative.
Either way, they’re all dead now.
The Thursday before network upfronts proved a very busy day, mostly due to NBC and ABC. The CW got in on the fun as well, taking CBS’ “Supergirl” for a Season 2 on the youngest broadcast net — probably where it should have been in the first place.
A day ago, Fox ordered five new series, including “The Exorcist” and “Lethal Weapon.” Hopefully, those will do better than this now-defunct bunch.
Fox’s actual upfront event — when networks preview their new shows for advertisers — is slated for Monday afternoon.