“A to Zed” is dead, baby. “A to Zed” is dead.
That would be funnier if you happen to be a Canadian “Pulp Fiction” fan.
NBC confirmed on Friday (October 31) afternoon that both “A to Z” and “Bad Judge” will complete their 13-episode runs, but won't go further than that.
Depending on how you look at it, that either makes “A to Z” and “Bad Judge” the season's second and third cancellations, following last week's Friday News Dump cancellation of ABC's “Manhattan Love Story,” or the second 13-and-done confirmation/truncation, following FOX's “Mulaney.”
It's hard to be surprised by either cancellation, though the “A to Z” decision was extra-obvious. Despite positive reviews, the comedy's most recent episode drew only 2.49 million viewers and a 0.7 rating among adults 18-49. Despite horrendous reviews and creative tumult, “Bad Judge” has consistently performed better, though its Thursday airing drew only 3.9 million viewers and a 0.9 key demo rating.
If nothing else, fans of both shows can take solace in NBC's decision not to yank “A to Z” and “Bad Judge” entirely. Both shows will continue to fill the Thursday 9 p.m. hour until they run out of episodes and both shows will remain in production till they complete their 13 episode orders.
To date, “Bad Judge” has shot 10 episodes and “A to Z” has shot 11.
It's doubtful that anybody is worried about whether or not the Bad Judge will become a Good Judge by the end of the show's 13 episodes, but “A to Z” introduced a definitive structure and end-point in its opening narration and it remains to be seen if the writers were given sufficient time to nuance the Cristin Milioti/Ben Feldman romance to its intended conclusion.
Stay tuned…
And we can also turn our attention to FOX as we await the fates of “Red Band Society” (not going anywhere, despite low ratings) and “Utopia.”
Will anybody miss “Bad Judge”? [Yes, I know that some people will miss “A to Zed.”]