It looks to be a tale of two fates for freshmen NBC comedies “Mr. Robinson” and “The Carmichael Show,” as the network announced earlier this week that it was canceling “Robinson” and renewing “Carmichael” for a second season.
Both series had a test run of six episodes but while “The Carmichael Show” flourished, “Robinson” floundered even after undergoing a number of changes including recastings, switching from a single camera to multi-camera, and bringing on board new show runners. In the end, the series just never seemed to have found an audience and did not do well ratings-wise in its time-slot.
“The Carmichael Show,” on the other hand, was an immediate hit for the network. The series, based on the real life relationships of comedian Jerrod Carmichael, and co-starring David Alan Grier, Loretta Devine, Amber Stevens West and Lil Rel Howery, was the most watched summer comedy on broadcast in eight years. The show proved to be a critical success and connected with audiences to the tune of almost 5 million total viewers to tie for the title of number one summer comedy in the 18-49 year-old demographic.
“We’re extremely proud of ‘The Carmichael Show,’ and Jerrod’s voice and point of view is a breath of fresh air in a comedy series,” said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke. “This show made a big impact with viewers and critics because it’s funny and relatable, but also because it’s fearless about discussing issues that are significant in the world today.”
“The Carmichael Show” airs on NBC Wed. nights at 9 p.m. est
