After Jenna Elfman, made her mark in the smash-hit Dharma & Greg, CBS to profit off her beloved wit and cast her in a series of her own, Accidentally on Purpose. But would she be able to pull it off once again? Well, no.
Elfman portrayed a woman that got pregnant after a one night stand and decided to keep her unborn child. Although Elfman’s character and the baby’s father don’t know each other well enough to be in a serious relationship, she allows him to move into her home on a purely platonic basis to help her raise their child. The show didn’t manage to connect with enough viewers and consequently, the network decided to call it quits after the first season.
2008: Rita Rocks
Rita Rocks was a short-lived Lifetime show that told the story of a hardworking wife and mother, who like many of us, struggled with her work-life balance, which included a job she didn't love, her family and her new extracurricular activity, forming a local rock band. Rita Rocks was actually the first original comedy series Lifetime had launched in a decade, so they had high hopes for the new series. But, after 2-seasons Lifetime called it a wrap in 2009.
Nicole Sullivan, who played Rita, is actually a hilarious actress who made her mark on the sketch comedy series MADtv, and the rest of the cast was pretty solid as well, but apparently, the wannabe-rockstar mom concept didn't attract enough viewers to keep it on the network.
2006: Four Kings
Four Kings was created by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, both of whom created the hit sitcom, Will & Grace. The show also starred Seth Green, who was experiencing much acclaim at that time (he was in the Austin Powers franchise and Buffy the Vampire Slayer), it all sounded like a recipe for success, but against the odds the show flopped, surviving only one season, with 6 episodes left in the vault never aired in the US.
According to its network, NBC is was the story of “a quartet of twentysomething chums who cohabit a Manhattan apartment that serves as their zany halfway house between college and adulthood.” Apparently, the cast didn't have the chemistry and appeal to convince the audience they need to watch another sitcom about a group of friends in New York City.
2006: Twenty Good Years
"It is a male version of 'The Golden Girls,' but with weaker writing." - The New York Times What a hit below the belt, considering the network NBC thought they had a sure thing with two comedic legends, Jeffrey Tambor and John Lithgow, staring on their new show. Twenty Good Years followed the life of two 'seasoned' men who were forced into retirement. And although they are pretty much polar opposites of each other, the one thing they agree on is that they have 20 "good" years left to live, and they want to live them the best they can.
The show’s premise wasn't bad, and the talent was phenomenal, however, the writing was so poor, that none of the aforementioned could save it. Twenty Good Years was canceled after one season. The Golden Girls re-runs it is!
2009: Brothers
Michael Strahan enjoyed a successful 15-year-long professional football career with the New York Giants. After he retired as a pro athlete, he decided to give acting a chance, nothing unheard of before then. In 2009 he would star in his own TV show, Brothers, a series that focused on his character's careworn relationship with his brother. Their parents in the show played the force that would try to drive the two siblings to resolve their issues.
The ratings for the show's debut were quite a disappointment and did not improve much over the course of its 13-episode run. Thus, after one season Brothers was dropped by its network, Fox. Luckily for him, the failed show wouldn't keep Strahan from show-biz. Since the show's cancellation, he's experienced much success as a Daytime talk show host and a sports analyst.