In what is being called “a gut-wrenching decision” by ABC Chief Karey Burke, the network has canceled Speechless after three seasons.
The cancellation isn’t a surprise as it was ABC’s lowest-rated series but it did have a devoted fanbase and was well-received by critics for bringing awareness to cerebral palsy via the character of JJ (Micah Fowler). The actor has the disease in real life and many liked that the show brought heart and humor to the condition and how the family copes with it as well.
In regards to the cancellation, the ABC Entertainment president revealed that it was a tough decision that caused a lot of “anguish” and also hit hard given that creator and exec producer Scott Silveri is a former producing partner of hers:
“There was a lot of anguish for me and all of us at ABC. We love Speechless, it was a very tough decision. Scott Silveri is a former producing partner of mine and it was not without great gut wrenching consideration that we ultimately made that call. We looked at a lot of factors and ultimately it came down to numbers and feeling like we could shore up the night more strongly with Fresh Off The Boat.”
Speechless starred Minnie Driver and John Ross Bowie as the parents of JJ (Micah Fowler), who has cerebral palsy, and his siblings Dylan (Kyla Kennedy) and Ray (Mason Cook). Cedric Yarbrough also starred as JJ’s aide, who serves as his voice.
Speechless had aired at 8:30 PM Wednesdays since its fall 2016 launch and actually performed admirably in that slot. The series moved to 8:30 PM on Fridays this season and took a huge ratings hit. The third season wrapped on April 12, averaging a 0.8 in the adults 18-49 demo and 3.1 million viewers.
