It looks like Ugly Betty may be down for the count.
ABC has decided to replace the low-rated one-hour dramedy with two half-hour comedies: The new In The Motherhood and the returning Samantha Who? in its’ Thursday night (7 p.m. CT) time slot. The move is effective March 26, but the plan is to put Ugly Betty on hiatus and bring it back after the two comedies’ run ends, with means Betty could have its season finale in June.
Betty, along with Heroes, were the toast of the freshmen town in 2006, but both have slid in the ratings and in the quality department over the past year-and-a-half. Both programs have been criticized for increasingly silly storylines during this time span.
The move could seal Betty’s fate, though no decision has been made on whether or not it will be back for a fourth season.
According to AfterElton.com, ABC officials said it has “complete confidence in Ugly Betty and the hiatus is no way meant to reflect a loss in faith for the show which remains large part of ABC’s identity.”
Thought: All right, ABC, what is this? Okay, you’re yanking Ugly Betty off the air for two months because of declining ratings, replacing it with two lame-brain comedies, and now you say you have complete faith in the show? What bull. If you did, you wouldn’t be yanking it off now, would you? You idiots screwed the show up to begin with by failing to move it from its early Thursday night time slot, letting it die opposite Survivor. And guess what? Until early March, it’s still going to get beat by Probst & Co. by wide margins, no less. Wow, talk about adding insult to injury. And you still have faith in the show?
While Ugly Betty deserves its benching, ABC’s “having your cake and eating it too” stance on this show is just another reason why viewers are abandoning network television (remember what CW did last year with Girlfriends?)