Extended Family canceled by NBC after one season

NBC announced earlier today that its comedy series Extended Family, which has, to date, seen the release of one season, has now been canceled. Created by Mike O'Malley, Extended Family premiered a few months ago in December 2023 and saw the release of a total of 13 episodes.

The series boasted a stellar cast headlined by Jon Cryer and Donald Faison and revolved around the story of a divorced couple, Jim and Julia. The story sees the couple traverse through the challenges of co-parenting their two kids in a family home. While the series was praised for its well-written comedy, which can be credited to Malley’s writing, as well as the uniqueness of the source material, it however failed to garner the kind of viewing that could warrant a renewal, leading to a premature cancellation.

The story was loosely based on the lives of George Geyer, Emilia Fazzalari, and Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck. All three of them were executive producers for the series.

Regardless, the latest announcement means that the March 26 episode, the 13th of Season 1, acted as the series finale for the show.

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NBC announces cancellation of Extended Family after just one season

The recent trend of canceling seemingly series abruptly has been continued by NBC concerning Extended Family. Led by Jon Cryer, Season 1 got off to a promising start which did not translate into streaming hours. As a result, the show has failed to secure a renewal and shall be left alone for the time being.

The series was praised due to the heart-warming way in which it dealt with often-sensitive topics such as co-parenting and divorce. The two protagonists do their best to co-parent their two kids, and even take turns staying in the family house.

However, things become awry when Julia Kearney, played by Abigail Spencer, meets Trey Taylor, a character directly based on Wyc Grousbeck. Trey is shown as a co-owner of the Boston Celtics and ends up falling in love with Julia, leading to a range of complications with respect to her existing family.

Regardless, the series was well-written, had a range of drama, and some genuinely well-written comedy integrated into the narration. However, it seems as if the lack of viewers at least in the initial few months of its release has led to the decision from NBC.

Extended Family could only muster a rating of 5 on IMDB, and may have been canceled due to the moderate viewing. The series in its 13 episodes has thus far amassed only 3.2 million viewers, which has come at a time when some of NBC’s other offerings have soared high.

Hence, the decision to make the March 26 episode the final one of the series appears to have come down to multiple factors. Regardless, all episodes of the series are now available to be watched on NBC, even if the show might never see the release of a Season 2.