You can expect my annual list of the “new obscurities” from the past year sometime next week. Until then, here’s a brief look at ten short-lived network TV shows from 2020 that you (and most viewers) have already forgotten. How many did you watch?
Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (NBC)
Premiered: January 10th
Episodes: 10
Although I didn’t watch Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, I know I caught a few minutes of an episode because I recognized Russell Hornsby from Grimm. That’s a few minutes more than any of the other TV shows listed below.
Outmatched (FOX)
Premiered: January 23rd
Episodes: 10
I actually planned on watching Outmatched because I’m a fan of Maggie Lawson from USA Network’s hilarious Psych. I watched her two previous network sitcoms–Back in the Game (ABC, 2013) and Angel from Hell (CBS, 2016)–but the promos for this one were underwhelming and I ultimately decided not to tune in.
Indebted (NBC)
Premiered: February 6th
Episodes: 12
I’m sure I saw a few promotional spots for this sitcom but don’t remember much about it.
Council of Dads (NBC)
Premiered: March 24
Episodes: 10
Again, I know I saw some promos for Council of Dads but have only the vaguest idea what it was about.
Broke (CBS)
Premiered: April 2nd
Episodes: 13
I don’t remember seeing any promos for Broke but I do recall reading a few articles about it and how it was Pauley Perrette’s return to television after leaving NCIS.
The Baker and the Beauty (ABC)
Premiered: April 13th
Episodes: 9
I honestly thought The Baker and the Beauty was a reality show when I saw the title in TV listings. It wasn’t until the show was cancelled that I learned it was a scripted series based on an Israeli series.
United We Fall (ABC)
Premiered: July 15th
Episodes: 8
This short-lived sitcom came and went in just seven weeks because ABC aired the first two episodes back-to-back. I don’t think I saw any promos for it nor do I have any idea what it was about.
Filthy Rich (FOX)
Premiered: September 21st
Episodes: 10
Filthy Rich has the distinction of being the first new scripted network TV series to debut at the start of the 2020-2021 television season. Although the network cancelled Filthy Rich in late October, it remained on the air for another month, finishing out its 10-episode order.
neXt (FOX)
Premiered: October 6th
Episodes: 10
Like Filthy Rich, FOX cancelled neXt in late October. The network had only aired two episodes before making the decision to axe the sci-fi drama. The series finale aired just weeks ago on December 22nd.
Connecting… (NBC)
Premiered: October 8th
Episodes: 8
Yes, NBC briefly aired sitcom set during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in which the characters are shown video chatting with one another while safely socially distancing. Four episodes aired before the network pulled the plug. The remaining four episodes debuted online.
How many of these TV shows did you watch? How many had you heard of before reading this post? Any of them? Be sure to check back next week for my comprehensive review of short-lived network TV shows from 2020.
look…… we’re all creatures of habit.. you can delude yourself into thinking youv’e got some intimate relation with these characters… as is presented,, but without distinct PRODUCTION VALUES.. sound/ theme music === photography or some impressionable details//–or –sets etc.. THESE LITTLE EPISODES are gonna be shelved LIKE WHISTLING UP A TREE….”It used to be a habit to settle in on new shows that develope a following; over time,,,and forming those intimate impressions that grow on the writers and in production teams… ITS GONNA go on this was until producers learn to PULL THE PLUGG… P,S ,,,, with the passing of WILLIAM LINK this week….there goes that last link to experienced professional teleplay writing…..” new yrs!!!!! bye
I hadn’t watched any of them, never heard of most of them, but saw ads for Council of Dads and Indebted during local news commercial breaks. It’s been a depressing year, and I don’t need to watch shows about disfunctional families annoying each other. Most weeks I watched nothing except the news and Antiques Roadshow. I hope someone enjoyed the short-lived shows, and no one lost much money on any of them.
“I know I saw some promos for Council of Dads but have only the vaguest idea what it was about.”
I’m guessing dads were involved.
“Indebted” was painfully bad. Be glad you missed it.
I thought that “Indebted” was funny!! “Broke” was quite funny, too!!
“Indebted” was actually decent with some reliable sitcom performers. Generation gap comedy as parents moved in with son and his wife and kids when the parents ran out of money………that was the twist. “Council of Dads” felt like it was assembled by a formula to ensure every possible diversity was represented WITHIN the family. And its most magnetic performer (Tom Everett Scott as the Dad) was killed about 43 minutes into the first episode. And I and many others probably thought, “Why am I going to continue to watch this?”