Fox announced on Wednesday that it has cancelled the first-season sitcom, “Ben and Kate,” effective immediately.
In its place, the network will double up on new episodes of “Raising Hope” starting Jan. 29 and will air that show’s season finale on March 28.
Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” will occupy the 8 p.m. time slot starting on March 12 and will lead into the comedy doubleheader “New Girl” and “The Mindy Project,” which are not affected by the “Ben and Kate” ouster.
In spite of initial positive reviews, “Ben and Kate” lacked the ratings needed to establish a strong foothold in Fox’s Tuesday-night lineup.
“Ben and Kate” debuted to 4.2 million viewers in September, but only averaged 2.9 million after that. Fox ordered an additional six episodes of the show in October, but the order did not prove to be a resounding vote of confidence.
Personal Take
It’s unclear as to which is the bigger surprise: that “Ben and Kate” was cancelled or that “Hell’s Kitchen” is still around.
“Ben and Kate” was a quirky comedy that suffered more from its acting than its writing. Dakota Johnson’s Kate and Nat Faxon’s Ben never seemed a good enough fit for Dana Fox’s writing.
Or was that Fox’s writing was too good for Johnson’s and Faxon’s acting skills?
Either way, “Ben and Kate” will not be missed by this viewer.
Now if only Fox would put “Hell’s Kitchen” out of its misery.
“Raising Hope” airs on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on Fox 13 in Provo.
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