‘Ugly Betty,’ the hour-long ABC comedy-drama about lead character Betty Suarez, a journalist without fashion sense who lands a job at Mode, a trendy New York-based high fashion magazine, has been cancelled after four seasons. Variety released the information on January 27, which also included that the series finale is set to air in April.
The New York-based cast and crew were made aware of the decision the same morning as the public announcement. ABC also released a statement, saying “We’re…announcing now as we want to allow the show ample time to write a satisfying conclusion. We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series, and felt it was important to give the fans a proper farewell.”
‘Ugly Betty’ quickly became a fan and critic favorite when it first premiered in September 2006, bringing in a noteworthy 16.1 million viewers. For the first season, the show won a surprise Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series, and actress America Ferrera, who portrays Betty, received an Emmy in 2007 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
But after the first season, the ratings and awards dwindled, and for the current season, ABC moved the show to the dreaded Friday night line-up. ‘Ugly Betty’ expectantly performed poorly in the timeslot, with the season premiere only drawing in 5.2 million viewers. The show was then moved to Wednesday nights in early January after the cancellation of ‘Eastwick’ in an effort to boost ratings, but the move didn’t help.
There were 20 episodes ordered for the season, and four are still left to produce, and at this time, ABC will likely air all 20.
Written by: Karen Benardello
