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UPDATE 11:30 AM: NBC has made it official: Starting next week, repeats of Whitney will air in the Wednesday 8:30 PM slot vacated by Free Agents.
PREVIOUS: The inevitable happened this morning after another poor showing from NBC’s freshman comedy. Free Agents averaged a paltry 1.0 rating in 18-49 and 3.3 million viewers last night. The underperforming new comedy got a stay of execution last week, when it also posted a 1.0 demo rating, for one more shot at improving — but that didn’t happen. There is no final decision yet what NBC will put in the Wednesday 8:30 PM slot, but reruns of new comedy Whitney are a strong possibility. NBC’s boss Bob Greenblatt earlier this week replaced canceled The Playboy Club with repeats of new drama Prime Suspect for additional sampling. I won’t be surprised if Whitney eventually migrates to Wednesday with originals while 30 Rock rejoins NBC’s Thursday lineup. Production on Free Agents was stopped right away. As one commenter noted, “They canceled the show in the middle of an episode and in the middle of a work day. Actors were just called to not come to set today. Harsh.” Based on the British series of the same name, Free Agents starred Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn as co-workers who start sleeping together. Azaria started the season with two series on the air, Free Agents and The Simpsons. With Free Agents just cancelled and The Simpsons‘ future in limbo over salary dispute with the voice cast, he may lose both in one week.
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too bad. I like Hank A. but the story is just not very interesting.
I managed to watch most of the first show. oh well. I do hope Hank A. will get into some other TV shows.
I actually liked this show. Thought it was funny. Maybe a little too soft, and Hank Azaria is not a leading man, but it was fun and charming and definitely on the smarter side of comedies these days.
Too bad! Had a Sports Night feel and was a smart show. Guess people like sitcoms that take less thought
Free Agents got cancelled because:
1. No chemistry between the two stars.
2. Hank Azaria, while super talented and a great voice over artist, has zero sex appeal or charisma.
3. No chemistry between the two leads. Yes, I am repeating myself. Between Twitney, The Playboob Club and this show, whoever runs NBC casting should be fired.
I actually really liked this show. It was especially great how they cast a lot of strong stand-ups and writer/performers. What a waste.
I never saw the show so I can’t comment on its quality, but I always thought it was strange that NBC tried to start a Wednesday comedy block without a single established lead-in. Why not move Community to 8 PM on Wednesdays, or put 30 Rock there instead of saving it for mid-season?
That way these shows would at least have some sort of lead-in like Whitney did.
Well, specifically, because Tina Fey’s pregnancy pushed 30 Rock to midseason, and Community’s ratings are too bad to launch a new show afterward.
Damn it! I thought the show was really good…
Dear Network Executives-
Did you ever think that maybe the public is a little scared to pick up new shows because you cancel them at a drop of the hat?
Why should I get invested in a new show when you yank them in 1 or 2 week later?
Maybe I will give them a look if they are still around in a month.
Why do I love USA?
I know that if I start watching a new show, it is not going to get cancelled right away.
They give a show time to work out the kinks, find an audience and get on the right path.
Signed,
A TV viewer who gets sad when new shows are yanked too early.
John Enbom is an enormously talented writer and terrific fellow, and primetime is worse off for him not being on the air.
I turned on one episode and the first scene was around a workplace conference table with everyone talking explicitly about sexual positions. I didn’t last 90 seconds. If the people writing these things worked a little harder on story and character and a little less hard on front-loading audacious salaciousness to prove how edgy they are, their shows might last a little longer.
Very dissappointing: this was the only good new comedy of the year.
At this point I am loathe to even bother watching new shows on the big networks: 70% of them get cancelled right away.
Sticking to cable and premiums.
A non-event for any of us that tried to watch this poor imitation of the Brit-com. Watch the original on BBC America instead.
This show had real potential. The leads were great and it had moments of brilliance. With time I think it would have developed into a hit. It’s a shame.
too bad, Made me laugh, nd great cast..a
Disappointing. That was a pretty solid cast – i miss you already, Natasha Leggero, and it seemed like the show was just getting started. ‘Whitney’ is grating – it seems if it wasn’t for the fact that she’s got long dark hair, is sort of attractive, enjoys wearing tight/short stuff all the time, with a tinge of shrillness to throw you off the scent, it wouldn’t be on the air. It’s no coincidence that she co-wrote ’2 Broke Girls’. Also, and i don’t know if it’s still the case since i stopped watching, during the ‘Whitney’ pilot, the male lead kept smiling or laughing just a bit after every ‘joke’ he delivered. Way to drive home the comedy
One of two new shows I liked, and it was cancelled. I can’t stand “Whitney”. I hope Hank Azaria gets something else he can star in. He’s great, and not just as someone else’s voice.
Just saw this the first time last nite and loved it–smart, adult, funny, good acting, Azaria and Hahn had great chemistry…and they’re replacing it with WHITNEY??? Good grief.
I have watched all 3 episodes and like the 2 leads very much. They’re human beings. The rest of the characters that surround them are horribly overplayed caricatures that ruin every scene they are in. Those two leads never stood a chance.
Ever notice how the “Supporting” emails are written by anonymous? Interesting, huh? But tend to agree, saw promo wasn’t moved to watch, but did so as homework. Actual episode didn’t deliver any more than promo. Sorry guys, this just wasn’t smartly written comedic writing. Good luck, Bob Greenblatt, it’s hard to make a turnaround
Not a bad pilot script but Azaria’s not a lead. And none of the supporting character’s appear to have any life other than being intensely interested in Azaria’s story. Just because they care about him doesn’t mean I will.
The sad part is, they canceled the show in the middle of an episode and in the middle of a work day. Actors were just called to not come to set today. Harsh.
It’s amazing how “smart” is now a synonym word for “unwatched” in this business. I watched the show as well, but there’s nothing “smart” about Dr. Hu (oh, it’s a play on Dr. Who!, got it). Mo Mandel and Al Madrigal are actual comedians (as is Kathryn Hahn) and they were never really given anything funny to work with. Madrigal has some bad luck too because he was on the awful Gary Unmarried.
Every episode of this show consisted of the two leads dating a new person, then failing, then jumping back in the sack with each other. I mean I guess that qualifies as “smart.” Last three weeks, 1.3, 1.0, 1.0 in the ratings. Recently burned off Friends with Benefits was better than this show and that show was really bad [with an appealing cast].
Does NBC try to be bad or do they just hire bad writers, show creators?
I really liked this show and I am sorry it was cancelled. Wish they gave it a little time to find an audience. Seinfeld would have been cancelled by now with this management team. They did have good chemistry. Only thing I didn’t like was the mouthy assistant.
Why not replace it with reruns of Community instead of Whitney instead.