Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Ugly Betty Put on Hold!

america_ferrera

Gasp!

What is my mother going to do?!

I just pray that Big Bang Theory will continue to put on new episodes, because Ugly Betty is being temporarily shelved by ABC, and I’m really not entirely sure how my mom is going to get through her life without her favorite show. My mom losing Ugly Betty is kind of like taking my Ambien away from me. I just don’t know how I’d function.

(Side note: I got a text from a girlfriend today: “Ambien update: My house phone and my glasses are missing.” I was like, “I know! I lost my glasses to an Ambien attack, too. I never found them!” She was like, “What do I do?” and I was like, “Blame the dog.” I told her that the next dog I get, I’m just going to name Ambien, so that there’s less lying involved in my day. Like, “Beet, why is there a sandwich and a Diet Coke wrapped in a sweater vest under the couch?” “Um … Ambien did it.”)

What was my point?

Oh, right, they’re putting America Ferrera’s show on hold so they can show more of that Christina Applegate crap. Here’s the low-down:

In a surprising move, ABC just announced that its former comedic golden child, Ugly Betty, will be shelved on March 26 in order to bring back Christina Applegate’s Samantha Who? and launch a new comedy called In the Motherhood, starring Megan Mullally and Cheryl Hines, in the Thursday 8 p.m. slot.

ABC President Steve McPherson’s nostalgic favorite (and old stomping ground) Scrubs and another new comedy, Better Off Ted (Portia de Rossi, Jay Harrington), will take the hour-long block starting Wednesdays at 8 p.m. (The former home of the dearly departing Pushing Daisies.)

So why is one of ABC’s highest-profile shows getting a time-out? …

According to ABC insiders, the Alphabet net is looking at more of a cable model when it comes to its programming and scheduling. “McPherson is interested in reducing the number of reruns,” one well-placed insider tells me, adding that Betty—after its dip in the ratings this season—seemed the best place to slot in Samantha and Motherhood.

Betty had an audience of about 8 million at the start of the current third season, but then consistently lost about a million viewers each week, sinking as low as 3.6 million. This month, it jumped back up to 7.5 million, but that’s still shy of last year’s audience of 9 million viewers.

What do you guys think?

Is this a smart move on ABC’s part?

32 CommentsLeave a comment

  • I am one of the millions of viewers “Betty” has lost. After watching the first few episodes this year, I realized it had lost it’s shine. There was NOTHING going on with the plot, plus, I realized how much I despised Betty and Daniel – the two main characters.

  • I don’t watch Ugly Betty but screwing around with a show’s schedule just as they’re regaining viewers never, ever works out.

  • i just sent this to my mom and she completely freaked out. must be a mom thing. i’m more excited for “in the motherhood,” i was a fan of the online series i wonder if it’s the same thing.

  • Probably not smart but who really cares? The networks are always fucking around with shows right in the middle of things. Nothing new there.

  • I’ve been an “Ugly Betty” fan since it first began, but I’ll be the first to admit that this season has been a total snooze-fest. I’m not surprised at all. I don’t even look forward to watching it on Thursdays anymore and usually end up DVR-ing it and then watching it when I’m bored during the weekend.

  • I tuned in the first time when Lindsay Lohan was, ff’d through thru the rest, no plot, too many lame characters and Ferrara, well, since she is Ugly. Turns out she is a total bitch to anyone who comes on the show that shows her up. America got Karma’d

  • That sucks. It’s hard enough to stay on top of it because the network is always moving it around. I think ABC is making a mistake.

  • I fucking hate ABC right now. First, they cancel Pushing Daisies. THEN they decide that there not gonna finish out the rest of the season (i think there was only 3 or 4 episodes left), so now i wont know what happens! AND NOW there benching Ugly Betty???? I dont think this is smart. There gonna lose a lot of viewers this way.

  • Ok… I don’t care at all about the show, but I am excited about the random girl in the background giving us the finger.

  • Let me digest all the ABC crap (even though fucking Fisher Broadcasting took AWAY my ABC affiliate–can you believe that shit?).

    My question IS: Did you lose your NEW glasses, Beet??? NOOOOOO!!!

  • I’ve only seen two episodes of Ugly Betty and I just don’t get how it’s popular. It uses every sitcom cliche to put her in stupid situations where she just continually looks like an idiot.

    I’m totally straight but I could look at Rebecca Romijn forever. She’s just gorgeous.

  • that show SUCKS. I never understood it. I tried watching it. Twice. Couldn’t hold my attention. Feel bad for the moms though.

  • NO THIS ISN’T A SMART MOVE. THESE ARE THE SAME MUTHERFUCKERS THAT TOOK AWAY MEN IN TREES. even if the last two eps sucked it, i loved that show. bad move ABC. losers

  • The only highlight of this show was Vanessa Williams playing the total bi-otch. Other than that, it became quite repetitive and boring. I especially grew tired of the relationship between Betty and her father with him always calling her “mija” and giving her some comforting words to deal with the cold, cruel world.