ABC cancels ‘Fresh Off the Boat’

ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat” is ending after six seasons.

• The news was first reported by Vulture and confirmed by Variety.
• ABC said it will air an hourlong series finale Feb. 21, 2020.
• The single camera comedy series stars Randall Park and Constance Wu.
• There is a chance, however, the series could live on in the form of a spinoff.
• The show will reportedly film an episode later this month that will introduce new characters.
• However, that episode would not be eligible to be a so called “backdoor pilot” — if ABC decides to move forward with a spinoff, it would need to go through the development process and film its own pilot, according to NBC.
• While the series has been hailed as groundbreaking, it faced controversy after Wu complained on social media after it was picked up for a sixth season earlier this year.
• Wu later clarified that she had to pass on another project with the series being renewed.
• Ratings for the show have slowly dipped and the network moved the show to a challenging timeslot on Friday nights.

Once the sixth season completes, the show will pass the 100 episode milestone.

• 100 episodes is widely considered a key benchmark for TV series to be eligible for “strip” syndication (meaning it runs five nights a week).
• However, there is no technical requirement that a TV series have 100 episodes in order to be eligible for syndication.
• Having 100 episodes in the can is, however, considered an advantageous for “stripping” a show because it gives stations or networks buying it the ability to run 20 weeks of episodes without having to repeat one.
• It’s important to note that not all series that reach the 100 episode mark will be syndicated.
• There’s no word if the series, from ABC parent Disney owned 20th Century Fox Television, will be syndicated.