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Following a rocky season after being thrust to the ratings-killing Friday night slot, ABC has turned the final screw and canceled its once mega-hit Ugly Betty. Say farewell to the gay friendly show that starred America Ferrera, Vanessa Williams, Judith Light, Michael Urie, Eric Mabius, Rebecca Romijn and Ana Ortiz.
Following a rocky season after it was thrust to the ratings-killing Friday night slot, ABC has turned the final screw and canceled its once mega-hit Ugly Betty, according to Fox411.
"We've mutually come to the difficult decision to make this Ugly Betty's final season, and are announcing now as we want to allow the show ample time to write a satisfying conclusion, "ABC execs Silvio Horta and Steve McPherson said in a statement. "We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series, and felt it was important to give the fans a proper farewell."
The often-campy, uber gay friendly hour-long comedy -- executive produced by Salma Hayek and starring America Ferrera as the dorky Queens' native Betty Suarez, who gets her big break working at the leading fashion mag, Mode -- came out of the gate four years ago as a rating grabber only to lose millions of viewers with ABC's move from Thursday to Friday night and then to Wednesday, all this season.
"The show was moved around so much and it looked pretty bleak early in the season, but when we got back on Wednesday nights, it seemed like it might all work out and we could swing higher ratings," a Betty staffer told Fox411. "Everyone has been on pins and needles since this summer, so in some ways, it is a relief, even though we will all be out of work. It's been a stressful year and executives were mishandling the show."
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The series boasted memorable characters including Vanessa Williams' cutthroat fashion guru and gay boy fave Wilhemina Slater, her bitchy assistant, Michael Urie's Marc, Michael Indelicato as Betty's younger gay brother, The L Word's Eric Mabius as Mode's Editor in Chief Daniel Meade, Rebecca Romijn as his trans sister Alexis and Judith Light as his mother.
In addition to Betty's gay characters and storylines, Ferrera and her onscreen family Ana Ortiz and Tony Plana showed support for gay marriage when they appeared in a PSA for No on 8 in the lead up to the 2008 election.
The series was inspired by the Colombian telenovela Betty La Fea.
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Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
