ABC Cancels Comedy Series

There has undoubtedly been a trend in television renewals this season.  Bubble shows granted returns have agreed to slash their budgets in order to better justify the network’s investment.  Some shows, unfortunately, are unable to succeed under that system.

ABC comedy “Samantha Who” is the latest casualty of upfront season.  Variety says the network canceled the series when it became clear the budget could not be cut enough to meet ABC’s terms for a third season renewal.

Originally a mega-hit in the post-“Dancing with the Stars” timeslot, “Samantha Who”‘s audience has steadily declined–its recent run on Thursday nights drew particularly uninspiring numbers for the network.

The network had been exploring creative ways to cut the budget–it desired $500,000 in cost reductions–including switching the program to a multi-camera in the vein of CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother.”  Unfortunately, nothing ended up working, and ABC dropped the show in favor of keeping “Scrubs” and “Better off Ted” and adding a total of ten new series to the roster.