Fox has yanked animated laffer 'Sit Down, Shut Up' a week early.
It's case closed for David E. Kelley's drama pilot "Legally Mad," which NBC has officially passed on.
Also Monday, Fox pulled the plug a week early on its animated laffer "Sit Down, Shut Up."
Peacock is on the hook to pay producer Warner Bros. TV a multimillion-dollar penalty on "Legally Mad," which was given a hefty commitment by the network.
It's been speculated since last week, when "Mad" wasn't among NBC's fall pickups, that the network may want to tie a renewal of Warner Bros.' "Chuck" to removing that penalty -- but insiders insist that the two are unrelated. "Chuck" remains on the bubble, although most expect it to return to the Peacock next year.
"Mad" would have repped the first primetime series from Kelley since the scribe sealed a deal with Warner Bros. TV and would have been his first show at the Peacock since "L.A. Law." Kenny Ortega directed the pilot, which Kelley wrote, about a father and daughter at a Chicago law practice -- and the characters that surround them.
Cast included Kristin Chenoweth, Charity Wakefield, Hugh Bonneville, Jon Seda, Loretta Devine and Kurt Fuller.
Among other pilots not moving forward, ABC's Lauren Graham comedy pilot is believed to be dead, according to insiders.
ABC execs remain fans of Graham -- but the pilot, about a talkshow host who must follow her own advice when her life falls apart, is said to have fallen flat in the screening room. Project is from Sony and Tantamount, which still has several hot contenders at CBS (particularly "Waiting to Die").
Fox, meanwhile, opted to yank the remaining episode of "Sit Down, Shut Up" after the show posted a dismal 0.7 rating/3 share among adults 18-49.
But it's believed the show may have also been pulled this Sunday due to some content concerns -- particularly since "Sit Down" airs at 7 p.m. Fox will run a repeat "King of the Hill" in that slot.
Given "Sit Down's" perf, the animated half-hour is not expected to return.
Contact Michael Schneider at
mike.schneider@variety.com