‘The Millers’ Canceled by CBS

The great sitcom bloodletting of fall 2014 continues, as CBS has canceled Will Arnett-fronted sitcom The Millers after only four second season installments.

The Millers starred Arnett as recently divorced local TV news reporter Nathan Miller, who has been going out of his way to hide the dissolution of his marriage from his dysfunctional parents Tom and Carol (Beau Bridges and Margo Martindale). Upon hearing the news, Tom and Carol decide to end their marriage as well, leading Carol to move in with Nathan, and Tom to move in with Nathan’s sister Debbie (Jayma Mays). In classic family sitcom fashion, neither pair can stand living together, and are constantly driving each other insane.

The first season of The Millers did quite well in the ratings, averaging a healthy 2.6 in the coveted 18-49 viewer demographic. Of course, a lot of that can be attributed to it airing after comedy juggernaut The Big Bang Theory. For season two, CBS decided to move The Millers to Mondays, with 2 Broke Girls as its new lead-in. Without Big Bang’s sheltering embrace to fall back on, The Millers’ average ratings plummeted to a 1.7, an overall decline of over 30%. While a 1.7 would likely equal a surefire renewal on a network like FOX or NBC, it’s not enough to impress the most popular broadcast network, leading CBS to cut its losses and cancel the show.

The Millers is set to finish filming its currently in-progress episode, then halt production immediately. Whether CBS will indeed air the rest of the series’ already produced episodes remains unclear.