ABC is pulling the plug on its once-promising new comedy series The Mayor. Starting on Tuesday, January 9, when The Mayor was scheduled to return from holiday hiatus, ABC will air a Modern Family return in the freshman’s Tuesday 9:30 PM slot.
The Mayor has aired nine episodes of its 13-episode order, and the fate of the remaining four is unclear. ABC, which last month ordered three additional scripts of The Mayor, will not be picking up additional episodes.
The Mayor has been a conundrum. It was chosen as the only new ABC comedy series to launch in the fall and premiered to strong reviews, backed by a big marketing campaign and featuring a charismatic young star in Brandon Micheal Hall. But it struggled to establish a foothold in the Tuesday 9:30 PM time slot. Its fall finale drew 2.8 million viewers and a 0.8 in adults 18-49 (Live+same day).
The Mayor, from ABC Studios, was created by Jeremy Bronson. It centers on Courtney Rose (Hall), a young hip-hop artist who runs for a mayor as a publicity stunt but scores a surprise win. Lea Michele, Bernard David Jones, Marcel Spears, Yvette Nicole Brown, and David Spade co-starred.