There is an awful lot of TV to choose from right now between network, cable and streaming service fodder. Because of this, it can be a lot harder for a new TV show to make its mark with audiences and land a Season 2 renewal order. Unfortunately, if you are an animated comedy airing on Comedy Central, it may be even harder. This morning, we learned that Comedy Central has given Moonbeam City the axe. The animated series will not be returning next fall.
If you’ve caught an episode of Moonbeam City, you should know it’s basically a throwback police comedy about a terrible detective and the competent rookie detective who works with him. The series features characters with wild names like Dazzle (the incompetent detective) and Chrysalis (the competent one) and stars some big names for an animated comedy, with Rob Lowe voicing Dazzle, Kate Mara voicing Chrysalis and Elizabeth Banks and Will Forte taking on other big roles. The show hit the schedule this past fall and aired 10 episodes, with none of those episodes coming close to the million viewer mark. For reference, Moonbeam City’s lead-in South Park averages well over a million viewers each week.
Although the show was a cult favorite, the biggest problem was that it aired in a slot that should have given it a cushion and people just didn’t stick around. South Park has been one of Comedy Central’s biggest names for 19 seasons now, and Moonbeam City was only maintaining 20% of South Park’s audience, according to Deadline.
Rob Lowe is definitely not having the best TV season. Of his three major shows this year—yes three--Moonbeam City has already been cancelled and the other two shows haven’t seen the best ratings. You, Me and the Apocalypse always felt like NBC was burning off the eight episodes in the first season, despite good reviews. Rob Lowe is the ingredient that makes The Grinder so spectacular, as well, and that show has started to pull lower ratings on Fox. While I’m still holding out hope for The Grinder, the two networks should be making decisions about the other two comedies this coming spring. Even with my fingers and toes crossed, Lowe might be looking for work in a few short weeks.
Comedy Central has been looking to get another animated comedy to pair with South Park for a while. TripTank still has 10 more episodes that were ordered but have not aired, making that a not-so-hopeful prospect, as well. We'll let you know what the network brings to the schedule next year, just in time for South Park's 20th season. In the meantime, here's what the networks have coming up this summer.
