In addition to cancelling Kyra Sedgwick comedy Call Your Mother, lauded legal drama For Life, and Black-ish spinoff Mixed-ish, ABC let go of freshman drama Rebel and veteran American Housewife on Friday.
Based on the life of Erin Brockovich with Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff acting as creator and showrunner, Rebel followed Annie “Rebel” Bello (Katey Sagal), a blue-collar legal advocate who operates without a law degree. What she has, though, is a brilliant mind and a determination to fight for causes she believes in.
In addition to Sagal, the series starred Andy Garcia (Ocean’s Eleven), John Corbett (Sex and the City), James Lesure (Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce), Lex Scott Davis (The L Word: Generation Q), Tamala Jones (Castle), Ariela Barer (Runaways), Kevin Zegers (Transamerica), and Sam Palladio (Humans).
The cancellation of Rebel is something of a surprise given the Vernoff connection and the strong cast. There had been chatter in the trades that the series could get another chance to find a wider audience, but its lead studio being Sony on top of its soft L+SD ratings and minimal non-linear interest didn’t help its renewal chances.
American Housewife had been the ultimate utility player for ABC, hopping all over the schedule as need be and ranking as the only ABC series down single digits in a tough season. The series recently passed the 100-episode mark and should go into the syndication marketplace next season, which makes the cancellation arguably the most questionable of ABC’s lot today. Another season of originals would’ve added value to the show’s syndication package and, as something produced by ABC, made Disney more money.
ABC is set to unveil its fall 2021 schedule on Tuesday.
