It’s been a very busy night for FOX, which, according to various published reports, has already ordered several new shows for its fall schedule, including the JJ Abrams-produced “Alcatraz,” the “Bones” spin-off “The Finder” and the Zooey Deschanel sitcom “The New Girl,” while also deciding that “Human Target” and “Breaking In” won’t be back on next year’s schedule. Given all the action, and given that “The Chicago Code” was on the renewal bubble right along with “Human Target” and several other series, I thought I’d check in with that show’s creator, Shawn Ryan, to see what he was hearing.
Ryan told me he had just heard from FOX entertainment president Kevin Reilly, who told him the show was also canceled. (As in it won’t be on next year’s schedule; the final episodes will air.)
The ratings for “Chicago Code” had never been especially strong, and with so many high-profile pilots in development, on top of pre-existing commitments for next fall for “Terra Nova” and “The X Factor,” there wasn’t going to be a lot of real estate on next year’s schedule. At best, one of “Human Target,” “Chicago Code” and “Lie to Me” were going to get picked up. Now, at least 2 out of those 3 have been removed from the equation.
I wrote in my review of last night’s episode that the show had a lot of good raw material that it didn’t quite know what to do with yet, but that I was hopeful Ryan – who already had FX’s “Terriers” canceled out from under him this season – and company would figure out how to make it work by the time a second season started. Instead, no second season, and the show will likely end as a big ball of unrealized potential.