Tag Archives: Ben And Kate

FOX pulls ‘Ben And Kate’ and ABC yanks ‘Apt. 23’ from their schedules, effectively canceling them

January 24, 2013News, TelevisionABC, Apt. 23, Ben And Kate, cancellation, cancelled, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, FOX, pulled, pulled from scheduleScott Meisner

Breathe, breathe. It’s tough news, I know. This week FOX and ABC pulled low-rated comedies Ben And Kate and Don’t Trust the B—- In Apartment 23 from their respective schedules. Ben And Kate, a freshman single-cam sitcom, managed to find its comedic groove early on but it never gained a foothold in the ratings. A dynamic cast led by the-one-and-only Nat Faxon delivered an absurd mixture of funny and heart week in and week out. In fact, FOX championed its creativity in October when the network expanded its original 13 episode order to 19. “Ben And Kate [has] everything we want to stand for in comedy: smart writing, hugely appealing casts and comedy that feels contemporary and real–which is why we’re confident [it] will continue to build on what is already an appointment comedy night for young, influential audiences on Tuesdays,” said FOX entertainment president Kevin Reilly. Though its numbers hovered in poor territory, FOX gave it time to find an audience and unfortunately it never quite found one broad enough to stay on the air. B&K averaged a 1.5 rating in the all-important 18-49 adult demographic, and that’s with 7-day DVR playback included; in so many words, not good enough. In a statement FOX says they plan to air the remaining six episodes at some point in the future. [Update: FOX has stopped production on the show so only 15 episodes will be produced meaning there are 2 unaired episodes that may or may not screen in the future.] And even though the net isn’t confirming cancellation, a sudden yank from the sked like this pretty much seals the deal.

The same goes for ABC’s wild comedy Apt. 23. But in this case you could really see the axe coming. Though the show certainly managed to grow creatively from its shortened first season, the viewers at large didn’t seem to notice and didn’t latch on. The way in which ABC aired the show was an ominous sign for fans. Many episodes that were originally produced for season one bled into season 2 and made storylines jump all around the place; this would introduce confusion for newcomers. After ABC pulled 666 Park Avenue from its Sunday lineup, the net decided to run Apt. 23 and Happy Endings twice a week, in the Sunday 10PM hour and on their regular Tuesday night. This experiment only lasted so long; Apt. 23 has been abandoned (its most recent ep drew a low 1.1 demo rating) and (thankfully) Happy Endings will continue its run on Tuesdays. No word on whether or not the remaining eight unaired episodes of Apt. 23 will see the light of day. For now, it’s goodbye peachy June, goodbye creepy Eli, goodbye obsessive Robin, goodbye hopeless Mark, goodbye infectious Luther, goodbye James Van Der Beek, and so long Chole. We’ll miss your bitchy ways.

TV clip: An extended cut of Nat Faxon’s crying scene in ‘Ben And Kate’

October 18, 2012Hilarity, Television, VideoBen And Kate, Director's Cut, FOX, Nat Faxon, TV clipScott Meisner

In the third episode of FOX’s laugh out loud comedy Ben And Kate titled “Fox Hunt,” Kate (Dakota Johnson) and her kid brother Ben (Nat Faxon) challenge each other to a scavenger hunt that they used to participate in when they were younger. Kate and her bumbling teammate and best friend BJ end up winning, and the episode ends with Ben in a fit of tears. Not because he lost but because Kate surprises Ben with a medal he thought he had disposed of when he was a kid after his father ridiculed him and played it down. Ben runs to the bathroom and in a scene called “Real Ben Don’t Cry” he lets the tears flow while simultaneous trying his best to hold it all back. It all played out magnificently on TV, but a director’s cut has surfaced on the ‘Net and it provides an extended, nearly two minute version of the scene. Have at it.

Ben And Kate airs Tuesday nights at 8:30PM on FOX.

FOX orders full season of ‘The Mindy Project’, extends ‘Ben And Kate’s run

October 8, 2012News, Televisionback nine, Ben And Kate, FOX, FSO, full season order, pickup, series pickup, The Mindy ProjectScott Meisner

FOX believes in its Tuesday night comedy lineup. Today the network handed out additional episodes for its two new fall comedies. The Mindy Project has been given “the back nine,” meaning it has received a full season order and will produce a total of 22 episodes. Ben And Kate, meanwhile, will air six more episodes on top of its original 13 episode order and so its first season will comprise of 19 installments. Why didn’t Ben And Kate receive the typical “back nine?” Well that’s simply because FOX has another new comedy on tap for midseason that is set up to take its place, The Goodwin Games.

FOX chairman Kevin Reilly on the pickups: “Ben And Kate and The Mindy Project have everything we want to stand for in comedy: smart writing, hugely appealing casts and comedy that feels contemporary and real–which is why we’re confident they will continue to build on what is already an appointment comedy night for young, influential audiences on Tuesdays.”

The ratings for these two so far haven’t been exceptional, but this is further proof that FOX is invested in them. The Mindy Project pilot received a 2.4 rating in the adults 18-49 demo and attracted 4.6 million viewers; these numbers dropped (as they do) in week 2 to a 1.9 share and 3.68 million viewers. Ben And Kate‘s premiere received a 2.1 rating in 18-49 and attracted 4.2 million viewers; these dropped to 1.6 and 3.2 million viewers the following week.

In its first outing, The Mindy Project didn’t sit entirely well with me. Come episode 2, however, I was fully engaged and excited for more from Mindy Kaling. Ben And Kate, on the other hand, managed to surprise me by how incredibly hysterical and perfectly casted it is so early in its run.

[Via Deadline; EW]