When actress Parker Posey joined forces with the creator of the beloved dramedy, Gilmore Girls, to make a new show, The Return of Jezebel James, Fox welcomed the talented duo with open with (hopeful) open arms. The story sounded like it had potential: a successful children’s book editor who is barren, and therefore, asks her estranged younger sister to carry her baby. Unfortunately, didn’t have a trace of the Gilmore wit, which was credited to show being miscast. Consequentially, after airing only three episodes, The Return of Jezebel James was canceled due to what Fox called “unacceptably low ratings.”
Reviews of The Return of Jezebel James were polar opposite the raving reviews Gilmore Girls received after its debut. Viewers agreeing with critics that the casting was just not right for that type of show- “Miscast and only intermittently funny, ‘Jezebel James’ misfires on all cylinders.”
2012: Work It
Premiering on the ABC in 2012, Work It was canned in record time. The first episode went to air on January 3rd and, by January 10th, the show had been pulled, never to see the light of day again. It managed to get out two episodes in that time, both horribly received by viewers. Work It told the story of two men who’d been laid off by General Motors and were struggling in the post-GFC job market. While this sounds bleak, it takes a turn for the bizarre as the two men decide the best way to sort their lives out is to dress up as women… because apparently women fare better in the workplace?
While the premise is shaky, you have to admit, dudes dressed as women tend to do well on both the big and small screens. From Corporal Klinger in M*A*S*H, to the unforgettable Mrs. Doubtfire, putting a man in a frock can make bucks for producers. However, when it came to Work It, the writers and actors just didn’t seem to have what it took to hold the attention of viewers. USA Today described it in the darkest of terms: “Work It is dreadful almost beyond comprehension: witless, tasteless, poorly acted, abominably written, clumsily directed, hideously lit and badly costumed.” Apparently there was literally nothing good about it!
2004: Joey
After the extremely successful 10-season run of the cult-favorite TV series, Friends, it was only natural that producers would try to continue the magic. Joey, a spin-off show starring the beloved character, Joey Tribbiani, made its debut in 2004. Joey, pretty much continued where Friends left off. The star who's a struggling actor moves from The Big Apple to L.A. to further peruse his career as an actor. Unfortunately, it wasn't even close to sharing the success of its renown its mother show and was ultimately canceled in 2006 after only 2 seasons, with 8 episodes left unaired.
Kevin S. Bright, one of the producers of Friends, explained his take on the reason the show failed, "I think we tried to present to the audience a Joey they didn’t know... Trying to develop a relationship and hang out with nerds. Even I don’t know what Joey was doing in that show, but it wasn’t what the fans were familiar with so it was not successful." It's interesting to know that Joey wasn't the first (second, or even third) choice for a spin-off show, but Matt Leblanc, who played the character, was the only actor willing to continue to play his role. Turns out the producers should have gone with their gut-feeling, or simply let the Friends franchise rest in its fans nostalgia.
2012: Rob
Rob, starring funny Rob Schneider, didn't even last 3 months. It was first aired on January 12th, 2012, and was replaced on March 1st, 2012 by Rules of Engagement, which would have a slightly more successful run. The show only aired 8 episodes. Ouch.
The series followed Rob, who lived the typical television-portrayed bachelor lifestyle until he married his wife, a Mexican-American princess. He then tries his best to adapt to her and her family's Chicano culture. This actually could have been an interesting premise; however, the show was riddled with dull comedy, not to mention the stereotypes that were portrayed which made it pretty obvious that none of the show's writers were actually Mexican-American themselves. One critic wrote, “There isn’t a single Latin name among the writers or producers and that it offers a wafer-thin appreciation and awareness of Mexican culture, one that doesn’t go beyond guacamole and the occasional use of the Spanish endearment mija (my daughter).”
2008: Rita Rocks
Rita Rocks was a short-lived Lifetime show that told the story of a hardworking wife and mother, who like many of us, struggled with her work-life balance, which included a job she didn't love, her family and her new extracurricular activity, forming a local rock band. Rita Rocks was actually the first original comedy series Lifetime had launched in a decade, so they had high hopes for the new series. But, after 2-seasons Lifetime called it a wrap in 2009.
Nicole Sullivan, who played Rita, is actually a hilarious actress who made her mark on the sketch comedy series MADtv, and the rest of the cast was pretty solid as well, but apparently, the wannabe-rockstar mom concept didn't attract enough viewers to keep it on the network.