‘The Michael J. Fox Show’ Canceled: NBC Pulls Remaining Episodes

Though not entirely surprising given NBC’s earlier move to cancel struggling freshman Thursday comedy ‘Sean Saves the World,’ the network has officially pulled the plug on its more high-profile ‘Michael J. Fox Show.’ The veteran ‘Family Ties’ and ‘Back to the Future‘ star had completed work on the 22-episode order, though the remaining episodes may never see the light of day.

News of the ‘Fox Show”s cancellation comes to us from Vulture, adding that NBC will replace its Thursday comedy with ‘Hollywood Game Night’ beginning on February 27. Sources say that filming on all 22 episodes of the hefty original order have been completed, though with only 15 aired, it remains unknown exactly when, if ever, NBC might display the final 7.

For those unfamiliar with the series (evidently most viewers), ‘The Michael J. Fox Show’ sees the former ‘Family Ties’ lead in the role of Mike Henry, an NBC news anchor diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease who makes the decision to return to work. ‘Breaking Bad‘ star Betsy Brandt portrayed Mike’s frustrated wife, Annie Henry, while the series also starred ‘The Wire‘ vet Wendell Pierce as Henry’s former boss.

Both this and ‘Sean Saves the World’ had been troubled performers for NBC, though by the time of ‘Sean”s cancellation it had been observed that ‘The Michael J. Fox’ show at least experienced significant DVR gains. Back in 2012, the series sparked a bidding war between networks, before NBC landed ‘Fox’ with a 22-episode commitment.

We can’t say we’re entirely surprised, though it portends pretty darkly for NBC to close up shop on such a revered TV presence as Michael J. Fox. What say you? Are you disappointed to see that ‘The Michael J. Fox Show’ couldn’t shake the competition?

Source: ‘The Michael J. Fox Show’ Canceled: NBC Pulls Remaining Episodes