Actor Michael J. Fox, his wife Tracy Pollan and their son Sam Fox (R) arrive at the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, January 13, 2013. (Reuters)
Michael J. Fox’s return to television appears to have been short-lived. NBC has yanked the struggling comedy “The Michael J. Fox Show” from its Thursday lineup, effectively pulling the series from its schedule after 15 episodes.
Variety reported “Hollywood Game Night” will take its place in the Thursday slot beginning Feb. 27. The Winter Olympics will air on the first three Thursdays of the month.
NBC shot a total of 22 episodes of the half-hour Fox skein this past year, but it never caused much of a ratings ripple. In its final Thursday airing, on Jan. 23, “Michael J. Fox” pulled a mere 0.7 rating/2 share in adults 18-49 and 2.2 million viewers overall.
This is the latest blow to NBC’s struggling Thursday comedy block, coming two weeks after the net shelved another struggling first-year half-hour, Sean Hayes' “Sean Saves the World.”
It was believed that NBC might stick with “Michael J. Fox” a bit longer, if only because it gave the show a straight-to-series order of 22 episodes and they had all been shot. It’s unclear if and when the Peacock might air the remaining episodes.
“The Michael J. Fox Show” marked the return of Fox to NBC, where he was a Thursday night mainstay in the ’80s with “Family Ties.”
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