With several series left on the bubble, CBS began making its last renewal decisions on Saturday, beginning with the cancellation of widower comedy The Unicorn and courtroom drama All Rise.
Well-received upon its debut last season, The Unicorn was never able to gain ratings traction, perhaps due to it being the only single cam on the CBS comedy slate. The series, said to be an internal favorite, wielded decent buzz and a Netflix deal, but even with producers reportedly slashing budget for a possible third season, the network still opted to let it go.
While All Rise also suffered from soft L+SD ratings, ranking as one of the least watched CBS scripted shows in the demo, the story of the series cancellation begins and likely ends with the significant behind the scenes turmoil that plagued both seasons. In August 2020, The New York Times wrote an article on the racially insensitive practices of showrunner Greg Spottiswood and how Spottiswood was able to keep his job for the second season despite driving away several writers of color with his behavior. He was eventually fired during season two and Salon published an in-depth article about what happened behind the scenes on All Rise and the culture that Spottiswood fostered during his time in charge.
The Unicorn and All Rise join MacGyver, Mom, and NCIS: New Orleans as CBS shows that won’t be continuing into 2021-22. The network is set to unveil its fall 2021 schedule on Wednesday.
