After rumors earlier suggested its run was ending, FOX has officially put the ax down on Outmatched after just one season. The series starred Jason Biggs and Maggie Lawson and followed a couple with four kids, with three of those kids being certified geniuses. The multi-camera show made its debut on Jan. 23 and saw its first season air 10 episodes.
Reports of the show’s fate first began to surface when The Hollywood Reporter predicted it would be “likely done” last week. The ratings were never strong for the freshman show, and its score on Rotten Tomatoes reflected that as it netted just 22 percent. Unlike the report by The Hollywood Reporter, another outlet, The Wrap, thought the series would survive due to the coronavirus pandemic and the inability of some studios to be able to produce new content for the time being. It turns out that it was not a factor in this decision by FOX. The Prodigal Son is the only other network series awaiting its fate.
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Outmatched never seemed quite to get off and running like the network had anticipated when casting former the American Pie star to play Mike and the former Psych and Lethal Weapon actress to play his wife, Kay. In an interview on TODAY ahead of the show’s premiere, Biggs spoke about the premise of Outmatched and how he related to it as a father of two, “It’s hard being a parent, we all have got kids, and we’re learning as we go.” Biggs added that he is continuously “outmatched” and can relate to this type of parenting.
On the other end of the spectrum, Last Man Standing finds itself back for another season in the fall. The Tim Allen-led comedy This will mark the series’ ninth season on air and third on FOX. Allen even sent out a tweet about the “good news” after learning his show would be back for another installment. Along with Last Man Standing, The Resident also received some good news when it found out it would be back for a fourth season. In the release that came out on Tuesday, FOX Entertainment President Michael Thorn singled out the two programs, saying that both shows are “such important parts of Fox, and we’re so pleased they will be returning next season.” Due to the coronavirus and the uncertainty of what’s to come, there remains no timetable for when studios will begin producing new content on scripted shows.
