TV Networks Give Scores of Shows the Ax this Week

Katherine Heigl, star of NBC's "State of Affairs" (NBC Photo)

LOS ANGELES - It was a long week for TV showrunners this week as the TV networks got the ax and started swinging away at low performing shows, leaving just a handful still standing.

The biggest ax was carried by NBC which dumped the freshman series “Marry Me,” “About a Boy,” “One Big Happy” as they joined the network's earlier victims, “A to Z” and “Bad Judge.” TV dramas were not spared by the NBC ax as “Constantine” and Katherine Heigl’s starring vehicle, “State of Affairs,” were also axed, as was “Allegiance” earlier in this year. The floundering “American Odyssey" is also likely to get the ax.

Fox, meanwhile has dumped Kevin Bacon's crime drama, "The Following" after two seasons. The show had started strong in season one, but faltered in its second season. Fox has also jettisoned Mindy Kaling's comedy "The Mindy Project," as well as “Backstrom,” the dramatic comedy starring Rainn Wilson, and situation comedy “Mulaney,” which was showng the door in February. Fox ambitious reality show “Utopia” closed up shop last fall.

CBS had a tough time with comedies this season, having pulled the plug on “The McCarthys” after dumping second-year comedy, “The Millers,” just a few weeks into its second season.

The first-year drama “Battle Creek” didn't fare much better after it got pulled recently despite debuting in midseason with veteran showrunner David Shore and “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan producing.

Meanwhile, ABC finally axed the Latina situation comedy "Cristela," and the dramas "Forever," and "Resurrection" along with the food reality show, "The Taste." Those shows joined the comedies “Selfie” and “Manhattan Love Story" which were canceled in the fall.