Marc says just have a drink and chill.
Yesterday, ABC reshuffled its schedule to move its top comedy Samantha Who? and new comedy In the Motherhood to Thursdays at 8 p.m. starting in late March. Great news for those shows, but bad news for the previous tenant of the time slot: Ugly Betty.
The move understandably left Ugly Betty fans in a tizzy, as ABC didn't offer an alternate home for the high-profile third-year show. Immediately, online reports foresaw Ugly Betty's demise with questions of the show's future.
Is the fear warranted? Probably, but not to the degree where Ugly Betty fans should start sending in braces or fashion mags into ABC headquarters.
Ugly Betty is signed on for a full season (about 22-24 episodes) and just last week aired episode 12. With half a season to go, Betty won't finish its season by the cut-off date of March 26, but ABC plans to bring it back in the summer.
ABC went into its midseason with tons of shows ready to go, and is gradually slotting in programming. Sure Ugly Betty got the bad end of the deal, but there's no need to panic yet--it's looks like it's a case of a network having too much to work with and not enough airtime. And with the recent move of Bones to Thursday nights, Betty has more serious competition. Plus, repeats of hour-long dramas (or comedy-drama hybrids as Betty is) do dismal in the ratings department, and ABC knows that.
"The Thursday night block is a good opportunity to launch these comedies," an ABC spokesperson told EW.com, referring to Samantha Who? and In the Motherhood. "That said, Betty is a solid performer and there is no question that it will definitely be back to complete its season, just without repeats."
The move also shapes ABC's summer to be largely repeat-free, with stored up episodes of Ugly Betty, Pushing Daisies, and Dirty Sexy Money. It may be a graveyard shift, but at least it's not in a grave.
Ugly Betty fans, are you worried?
I don't think in the motherhood, is going to do well. Hope UB will get her time spot back.
ABC already did the dirty with Pushing so i hope UB isnt next on its list seeing as the ratings arent TOO great - but still please dont kill it like you did PD
can't CW or FOX pick up Pushing!?!?!?! :'((((((
UB is really borrrrrrrring. first season was great but now... can't wait for pushing daisies!!!!!
i stopped watching when they moved BONES
Maybe it just hit them that remakes of foreign shows are simly just not meant to be
That is totally ridiculous, Betty is such an amazing show, they CAN'T pull it!
I think ABC's problem is they make to many shows and don't know where to put them all.
This is a great show! yeah i see comition with Bones, but it's stiil good! Dont loose UGLY BETTY!!
What I want to know is will the 7 weeks between 2/5 and 3/19 be all new episodes? If so maybe it's not that terrible, we'd still have 19 episodes in season 3 before the break (with the 12 already shown). I wouldn't mind a few more this summer to bring it into the 20s when there is next to nothing to watch anyhow.
It's so sad these days that the best & brightest shows on the networks are all either being cancelled or pulled -- a la Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, and now Ugly Betty. This is apparently the first sign that the tv apocalypse might be here.
wait.... pushing daisies and dirty sexy money in the summer?
Just goes to show show bad programmers are! ABC are ruining any chances for there shows. I cant belive they are holding of on PD and UB.
Just as bad on Ausralian Free To Air networks. They push their imported shows to every timeslot.
Betty Jumped the shark a while ago. I really enjoyed season one but the rest has been bad.
ABC is full of morons... The fact that Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone ended and Ugly Betty was removed from the schedule just shows what morons the tv industry is made of.
This really sucks. Ugly Betty does have good ratings it didn't have to be moved. I just hope the show isn't canceled, even if I have to wait until the summer to see it.
Absolutely! I think ABC is crazy for this. I didn't think the ratings for the show were that bad either.
This sucks but I'm not worried for the future. I just hate having to wait a long time for my shows to come back. I'm still waiting for Terminator and Reaper to return within the next 2 months... not to mention Dollhouse.
WTF!!!!??? Seriously? The f*cking SUMMER! They must be effin' MAD!ABC what the hell are you thinking?
I hope they don't cancel Ugly Betty. It's bad enough that they axed Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money.