Selfie fans were hoping that ABC would air the remaining episodes of the cancelled series, but no such luck.
After only five weeks on the air, ABC chose to cancel its new sitcom Selfie due to low ratings.
Seven episodes out of a total 13 produced have aired so far; last Tuesday we could enjoy episode 7, “Here’s This Guy” (read our recap here).
While season 1, episode 8, “Traumatic Party Stress Disorder,” was scheduled to air on November 18, ABC has now revealed its decision to pull it from the schedule, replacing it with a repeat of Shark Tank.
We can’t help but find some irony in that title, how about you?
Episodes 9 and 10, which were scheduled to air in the following weeks, will be replaced by Dancing With the Stars clip shows, according to Zap2It.
There is no word from ABC yet as to whether they’ll ever air the remaining episodes of the audience fave Selfie. But for now, we might have to consider “Here’s This Guy” the show’s official series finale.
Henry (John Cho) ended up with Julia (Allison Miller), while Eliza (Karen Gillan) got to bake a cake and make a speech. We’re sure that’s exactly how series creator Emily Kapnek would have wanted to see it go.
Why was ‘Selfie’ cancelled?
In the aftermath of Selfie‘s cancellation, fans of the show have been desperately trying to save it – despite the fact that such campaigns happen every time a show is cancelled, and almost never have any real effect.
The most recent episode earned a 0.9 rating in the all-important 18-49 category. Its pilot scored a 1.6, which is very low – and yet ABC ratings are averaging between 2-3 at the moment. Ratings just aren’t what they used to be.
Non-fans seem to unanimously agree on why the show flopped in the ratings: because of its title. Obviously “selfie” is a divisive word, but it’s not like all massively successful shows have killer names.
What more likely broke Selfie was a lack of proper publicity, as everything we saw before the show aired was trying to play to the selfie culture. Instagram and Twitter accounts for the show’s lead character were posting selfies of Karen Gillan, encouraging potential fans to take their own.
The pilot, too, was hashtag-heavy and made awkward, already-expired pop culture references.
What the branding failed to show us was what a relatable show it was, and how much heart it would turn out to have. The show’s strength lies in how genuine Eliza and Henry’s friendship is, and how much the writers clearly value actual conversation and connectivity.
Perhaps the title turned people off from watching. But the fault lies with a system unwilling to allow a series with potential to grow. If it’s not a hit from day one, more than likely it’s back to the drawing board to create another talent show, or a duplicate of something already on the air.