'Michael Richards Show' Canceled

Dec. 8 -- The other gumshoe has dropped on The Michael Richards Show, but few seem surprised by NBC’s abrupt cancellation of the rookie sitcom.

Critics had bashed the detective program, which starred Seinfeld alum Michael Richards, and extensive retooling did little to draw the interest of viewers. According to Variety, insiders at NBC knew that if the show’s Tuesday night ratings were poor, it would be gone.

This is the fifth death sentence to be issued by the peacock net since the beginning of the fall season. The Aaron Spelling soap Titans was the most recent casualty, preceded by Daddio, Tucker, and Deadline.

Production on The Michael Richards Show will shut down immediately, Inside.com reports. The remaining three episodes will not be shot, and the final one will air Jan. 2. Pundits claim that NBC will apparently save $1 million by ending its involvement with Richards now. In other shakeout news, Fox has canceled its acclaimed but struggling stock market drama The $treet, while ABC will put Gabriel Byrne’s Madigan Men on hiatus beginning Jan. 5. NBC did give DAG new life, ordering four additional episodes of the David Alan Grier laffer. DAG is only the third new show, along with Ed and Cursed, to get extended treatment from the network.