CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- ABC has rolled back its full season commitment to its freshman drama "10-8," opting to produce just 15 episodes of the series this season.
The drama is now expected to wrap its season in February so that the network can use its Sunday, 8:00/7:00c time period to launch one of its midseason projects. Through nine airings this season the series, a co-production of Touchstone Television and Spelling Television, has averaged 8.3 million viewers.
In addition, ABC has trimmed its previously announced 13-episode order for its midseason comedy "The Big House." The Kevin Hart-led series, which comes from 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television, will produce only six episodes this season.
Both cutbacks however haven't stopped ABC from ramping up production on its veteran series. Yesterday the Alphabet ordered additional episodes of both "The George Lopez Show" and "According to Jim" (read the story). The network also confirmed today it has picked up four extra installments of fellow vet "My Wife and Kids," bringing its season total to 26 episodes.
As for midseason, ABC has a whopping 10 series sitting on the bench in addition to "The Big House": the Steven Weber-led drama "The D.A.," Stephen King's "Kingdom Hospital," an untitled drama about upper-crust New Yorkers and their servants from producers Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman, the U.K. reality import "The Swap," the series version of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," and new episodes/seasons of "The Bachelorette," "Celebrity Mole," "N.Y.P.D. Blue," "Karen Sisco" and "The Drew Carey Show."
|