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CANCELLATION ALERT: Back in the Game

With no easy answers for its middling new comedies, ABC made some announcements today and the baseball comedy Back in the Game was on the short end of the stick. Despite higher viewership totals in recent weeks, Game was passed over while The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife were given full seasons and Super Fun Night was given additional episodes. Back in the Game was an OK fit out of The Middle on Wednesday nights but not nearly as compatible as many, including me, thought. It also was a far lesser performer on DVR ratings than the new Tuesday comedies. Through six episodes, Back in the Game averaged 6.7 million viewers and a 1.9 demo. ABC has said it will air all 13 episodes from the initial order which probably means we'll continue to see Game on the schedule through late December/early January.

Back in the Game is the fifth cancellation of the season and second for ABC, joining Lucky 7, We Are Men, Ironside, and Welcome to the Family. But it wasn't an instant bomb like some of the others. It just wasn't the top of ABC's priorities when it came to the new comedy class.

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