If you’ve been transfixed by Bad Judge and the saccharine sweet courtship of How I Met Your Mother mom and the nipple-gifter from Mad Men on A to Z then the good news is that you’re going to have a few more episodes to enjoy whatever it is that you enjoy about those shows because while they have drawn abysmal ratings, they have consistently outperformed dead air. As for the bad news, well…
There will be no grand Hollywood ending for romantic comedy “A to Z” and legal comedy “Bad Judge,” as NBC has announced that neither new series will move beyond its 13-episode commitment.
Both shows will stay in their Thursday night timeslots. “Bad Judge” has shot 10 episodes. “A to Z” has shot 11 episodes.
Neither show deserved more than they’re getting with Bad Judge pulling in a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demo and A to Z earning only a 0.7, but it’s still gotta be brutal for the cast and crew of both of these shows to go to work and film those last few episodes knowing that there is no future in it. Yes, it’s still a paycheck and these people are professionals, but still, that sounds pretty joyless. I do wonder, however, if the A to Z team will try to put a cap on Andrew and Zelda’s relationship for the sake of the people who actually liked the show now that the end is assured and fast approaching.
Speaking of joylessness: why is NBC’s womb so hostile to comedy babies? I guess About a Boy‘s continued existence counts as an achievement and Marry Me might make it past year one, but so did Whitney and Up All Night. At this point, it feels like they’ve tried everything from casting beloved TV stars from the past (Michael J. Fox, Matthew Perry) to courting families, couples, office drones and the rest. These shows haven’t all been abhorrent, they’ve just been flat. Now Parks and Recreation, NBC’s only comedy with a pulse, is set to exit the stage without ever really earning a large audience.
I really don’t know what the solution is for NBC. Maybe they should secretly follow Jerry Seinfeld around with a camera or revisit some of their other shows from the 90s. Maybe it’s time to go back and check on how Joey’s doin. Is the Single Guy still single? Is Caroline still in the city? Whatever happened to roller blade guy? Did he have a nervous breakdown when Heelys became a thing and he became less special? People want to know.
Source: Variety
