In a 2009 Official Ugly Betty podcast, Ugly Betty co-stars Becki Newton and Michael Urie sang an impromptu ditty titled, "We're Not Canceled." Unfortunately for the twosome, that song is now obsolete.
After a season of dismal ratings and dire speculations, ABC announced Jan. 27, 2010 that it will not renew the quirky series. The announcement came after the network had twice rearranged Betty's fourth-season schedule in order to generate a stronger viewer base, and the show had tried a creative resurgence.
The Ugly Betty Time Slot Shuffle
Unfortunately, their tactics failed, and Ugly Betty ratings hit an all-time low during the first half of their 2009-2010 season. ABC had moved the show from its previous Thursday night slot, instead airing it on Friday nights.
When the Friday night news first broke, television critics feard that the so-called "Friday Slot of Death" could be the nail in Betty's already-feared coffin. However, ABC president Steve McPherson insisted that the network has "to make some bold moves sometimes. To me, I’d love to see [Betty] have a great run on Friday night the way Ghost Whisperer has [for CBS].”
Betty's creative team also tried to revamp the series, giving the show a new look and hiring prominent guest stars. However, despite a critically well-received season, viewers failed to catch on. The series' fourth-season ratings pulled in around 4 million viewers per episode, far below ABC's hopes and expectations.
Ugly Betty's Cast and Crew React to the Cancellation
When the tragic news broke, the show's executive producer, Silvio Horta, released a joint statement with ABC honcho Steve McPherson. Their statement said that the two sides had "mutually come to the difficult decision to make this Ugly Betty’s final season."
Meanwhile, several cast members were releasing statements of their own. Ana Ortiz, who plays Betty's older sister, Hilda, said that she was "saddened by the news but it's not unexpected." She went on to say that she's "really proud of this season, and I'm proud to be going out on a high note. I think the fact that we stayed on this long is because of the fan support and their love for the show."
Ortiz's on-screen son, Mark Indelicato (who plays Justin), stated that while he's " sad to see this come so unexpectedly," he's been proud of his four years' of work, and will miss the Betty family.
Horta promises that in the series' final episodes, viewers will get full story disclosure. "We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series, and felt it was important to give the fans a proper farewell," his statement with McPherson concludes.
Ashlea Ramey - Ashlea Ramey is a recent journalism graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. She lives in east Tennessee on a goat farm, where she ...
