Fox had some really good news for a few projects, such as the Season 4 renewal for comic-mashing crime drama Gotham, as well a series order for Matt Nix's X-Men-until-it-isn't drama Gifted. But not every series got to be so lucky, and today saw the network dropping the guillotine down on three of its freshman series from the 2016-2017 season. Not only will Justin Kirk's tech-heavy A.P.B. fail to return for another season, but also gone from primetime are the half-animated comedy Son of Zorn and the time-traveling comedy Making History.
A midseason entry that packed a pretty solid cast into its story of a billionaire's attempt to revolutionize Chicago's police force in gadget-embracing ways, A.P.B. starred Justin Kirk, Natalie Martinez, Ernie Hudson and more. A.P.B. premiered in February to decent numbers in both viewership and the key demo rating, but lackluster reception from both critics and audiences didn't help to keep the show above safe waters, although the second half of the season remained consistent. We probably shouldn't expect to see this one being auctioned around to other networks and studios.
Lego Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller started developing Fox comedies after The Last Man on Earth's success landed them an overall deal, and the half-animated, half-live-action Son of Zorn was the first thing they produced. Created by Julius Sharpe, Son of Zorn was a comedic look at a barbarian (voiced by Jason Sudiekis) moving to Orange County to build a relationship back up with his wife (Cheryl Hines) and his son Alan/Alangulon (Johnny Pemberton).
As you might imagine from its place on this list, Son of Zorn wasn't exactly a ratings smash, and its impressive Sunday night premiere numbers tanked almost immediately. Things settled in later on in its run, but a network finale pulling in 1.5 million people isn't likely to last long no matter what night it airs.
And then there's Making History, a show that could have been Adam Pally's next big project, as he co-starred with Yassir Lester and Leighton Meester as a trio of time-travelers whose motives and actions are far less virtuous than anyone should be with access to a time machine. Despite some laughs, everything felt uncooked and wasted, and Making History debuted to just over 2 million people, which immediately put it on the cancellation bubble. Things never picked up from there, and making matters worse was Fox shortening the episode count early on, though everyone acted like it wasn't because the show was in trouble.
All three shows are now finished for good, as are Sleepy Hollow and Rosewood. But that doesn't mean you can't find new projects taking their place in the future, and you can find them all in our summer TV schedule. And head to our network rundown to see where all your favorite shows are at on the cancellation/renewal spectrum.
