Parker Posey's Sitcom Canceled After Just Two Airings

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Fox has pulled the low-rated Parkey Posey sitcom "The Return of Jezebel James" from its schedule after just three airings.

The show pulled in just 3.2 million viewers when it debuted March 14 with back-to-back episodes, the network's worst performance in the 8 p.m. hour since fall's "The Next Great American Band." Last Friday's episode, paired with a rerun of "'Til Death," met with similar apathy. "'Til Death" has also been removed from the lineup, with both replaced by repeats of "Bones."

"Jezebel James," from "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, stars Posey as a frenzied career woman who persuades her younger sister (Lauren Ambrose) to become a surrogate mother for her.

RIP. Here's the promo trailer:

Comments

[Citizen69]

Fox cancelled Family Guy and the BRILLIANT Arrested Developmen­t....gotta make room for "Who Fucked Your Sister" and "Herpes, The Game Show". Buster's Linus is shaped like a lobster's tail....but without it's shell.

[NotaBeliever]

I watched the first episode with anticipation and was horribly disappointed. The sisters did not like each other, and yet they were going to embark on a surrogate pregnancy with the dysfunctional sister under the control of the tightly-wrapped executive? I understand what they were going for ... the Odd Couple did it better and there wasn't concern for a child produced by such a union. 2 1/2 Men does it better every week. This one just didn't work.

[ElPerro]

Well, that's the way Fox plays. Amy Palladino writes great characters, so this show would have developed well had it been given a chance. But after the Arrested Development fiasco, this is basically the way I expect Fox to treat it's sitcoms.

[BlueBoomer]

I never saw the show, but I would be disinclined to watch it if for no othe reason than Lauren Ambrose.... When she was on Six Feet Under the fact that she seemed to have only ONE facial expression annoyed the crap out of me... She was mighty lucky to have gotten such steady work for those years, because she cure can't act.

[RoseMerry]

This is the first I have heard of it and I adore Parker Posey!

Fox reeks.

[fantagor]

The premise is startlingly bad, which the trailer illustrates with great aplomb. Bring back Arrested Development, the last worthy sitcom in a generation.

Randy

[strifeknot]

Fox must not have promoted this show. I love Parker Posey and would have given it a look had I known it existed.

[alltwisty]

I heart Parker Posey

[rektruax]

It must be difficult for good actors to act poorly on purpose. But In TV (network sitcoms especially) you really have to sell it (over act). That and the trend for women over the last decade or so is... Dialog... Snarky remark... Observation... Snarky remark... Sarcastic last words... end of scene.

I think the world of Posey, but she's better off without this dreck.

[VicPerry]

Parker Posey is awesome; this show wasn't.

Hey, by the way, Parker Posey fans should really scour the world for a fantastic movie she made with a poor title ("The Misadventures of Margaret") that just was totally buried by the studio (starting with the dumb title, which should have been "Rameau's Niece", which was way too obscure a literary reference for them.....as was the pop music soundtrack by St. Etienne.) It's one of the funniest, smartest romantic comedies made in the last ten years or so.

[deckard70]

Fans of Parker should also check out the album "?What" by Stuart Davis for the single "Parker Posey":
http://www.amazon.com/What-Stuart-Davis/dp/B000JBY1BY/
Or iTunes it.

[deedrdo]

don't forget to rent 'the house of yes' as well. she's fantastically deranged in that movie.

i saw the sitcom. yawn. i give her cred for giving it a try but it was just all wrong on so many levels.

parker is a gem. i wish we could see her more often.

[cBc]

gavintiegirl - absolutely spot on.
I wanted to like this show, but to me the chemistry between the two just didn't jell.

There's getting to be less & less on TV that I want to bother to watch lately... well besides "The Moment of Turth", of course :gag:

[MikeDu]

I like Parker Posey too but I've got to admit there was something really REALLY wrong with that sitcom. It was like the TV equivalent to watching an inexperienced driver trying to use a standard transmission. Lots of uncontrolled lurching and grinding of gears, gunning the engine & not moving. The laugh track only served to remind you that what you were watching wasn't funny.

[Ides]

I hope this signals the death of the laugh track. I could only watch for 3 minutes before jokes that made me smirk or left me cold were accompanied by riotous laughter and applause. Oi, don't tell me what's funny, I KNOW from funny, dammit.

[MsPeppy]

Fox SUCKS!!!!!!! This was a great show, this network doesn't deserve the caliber of Lauren Ambrose and Parker Posey. Hope they both land something else, preferably together again!

[deckard70]

Never heard of it but I love Parker Posey and would have tuned in. Fox puts shows it wants to cancel on Fridays, which is why it is known as the "Friday death slot".

[MercedesGabriella]

I too would have tuned in HAD I ONLY HEARD OF IT!! No promotion, no ads = no audience.

[HDR]

I never heard of it either. Did Fox ever promote it? Over the years Fox has taken risks on some sitcoms only to panic and cancel at the first hint of it not being a blockbuster. Ned & Stacey and Action come to mind.

[deedrdo]

it was one of those shows that didn't make the cut for the new fall season but, after the writer's strike, was resuscitated to fill space.

[Ankhst]

I think you nailed it. I may be biased, but I think the most notable Friday death was Joss Whedon's "Firefly" (see movie "Serenity"). Pretty sure it was Fri 8pm, but maybe 9pm. We also liked an old
Matt Fox show "Haunted", but that may not have been Fri... maybe Tue.

Still, Fox doesn't really know what to do with TV shows that aren't instant buzz smash hits. I'm surprised anyone wants to ever do a new FOX show anymore.

[Ankhst]

I should also add, we love both Parkey Posey and Lauren Ambrose... and I seem to recall hearing this new show was coming out, but I didn't ever hear when it was actually happening... but of course we don't watch much FOX anyway, as you can imagine.