The old saying goes that two wrongs don’t make a right, and I guess we can build that up by saying “a bunch of rights also don’t necessarily make a right.” Case in point: the FX series The Comedians, which is filled to the brim with talent both in front of the camera and behind it, has already been canceled after just one season, due to TV viewers overwhelmingly not giving a shit. Tis a sad day for fans of Billy Crystal, Josh Gad and awkward, sometimes vomit-filled comedy.
News of the show’s demise came from executive producer Ben Wexler (a vet of The Michael J. Fox Show and Arrested Development), who shared the announcement on his Twitter page. (Wexler also played Josh’s agent on the show.)
The Comedians was a mockumentary-style show that was about Crystal and Gad making an FX sketch series together. Of course, the show they were creating was purposefully crude and mostly terrible, and a bulk of the comedic situations centered on the many problems the duo had, bother personally and professionally. The cast included Dana Delaney, Stephanie Weir and Matt Oberg, and there were tons of guest stars like Mel Brooks, Denis O’Hare, Steven Weber (as an uncomfortable transsexual director), Sugar Ray Leonard, Rob Reiner, Will Sasso, Seth Morris and many more. It was the co-creation of Seinfeld vet Larry Charles, Crystal, Wexler and Burn Notice creator Matt Nix. “Meh,” said America.
To prove they didn’t care, audiences largely ignored The Comedians, while critics seemed to go both ways in their opinions of the uncomfortable humor. (I personally loved it, although it definitely took some getting used to.) Still, the ratings were absolutely abysmal, even for a non-hyped cable show. The April 9 premiere only brought in 878,000 people and the finale managed to be seen by less than half of that initial audience, with only 306,000 pairs of eyes on it when it aired. That’s just depressing.
I mean, when will we ever again get to see what Billy Crystal looks like stoned while wearing a tux?
Moving forward, FX’s comedy slate will hinge on veteran series like Louie and Archer, the sophomore season of Married, and Denis Leary’s new series Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll. Will you guys miss The Comedians?
