Cancellation Friday: 'American Chopper,' 'Partners,' '666' And More Get The Ax

By Charles Poladian | November 16 2012 10:40 PM

A spate of cancellations swept away a number of television series Friday. Three of the four series canceled are first-year entries that have struggled to get either good reviews or high ratings.

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The most surprising of the four cancellations was probably “American Chopper.” The biker-based reality-TV series has had a decadelong run, most of it on the Discovery Channel, and this is not the first time the show has been canceled, according to Entertainment Weekly.

“American Chopper” could be considered the forerunner of many niche reality-TV shows that have become staples on sets across America. It followed the lives of Paul Teutul Jr. and Paul Teutul Sr. as they built custom motorcycles for the company they owned, Orange County Choppers.

The most dramatic thing about “American Chopper” was something that even the best television writers could not script. The Teutuls were embroiled in a bitter lawsuit that forced the cancellation of the show the first time, as noted by Entertainment Weekly. The father and son eventually settled out of court, and the show lived on. “American Chopper” will end with a live special featuring a bike build-off, and its simple premise could allow the show to be resurrected later, as pointed out by Entertainment Weekly.

The same cannot be said for the other shows axed on Friday.

CBS announced the cancellation of “Partners.” The series had plenty of hype behind it, being the brainchild of “Will & Grace” co-creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, the Hollywood Reporter said.

In addition to its pedigree, “Partners” had a coveted time slot, 8:30 p.m. on Monday, which had been the home of several hit CBS shows in the past, as CBS Monday replaced NBC Thursday as the best night on television. CBS' Monday lineup has included “How I Met Your Mother,” “Mike & Molly,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “2 Broke Girls.”

The reason for the cancellation of “Partners” was simple math: Ratings have been in a downtrend, and that continued with last Monday's episode, prompting CBS to cancel the series.

Ratings woes spelled doom for two ABC dramas, as well. According to the Hollywood Reporter, “666 Park Avenue” and “Last Resort” will be canceled. Both programs will get to air the 13 episodes that were originally ordered. “Last Resort” has received generally positive reviews and has had modest gains in the ratings, while “666 Park Avenue” failed to draw ratings on Sunday.