NBC Officially Cancels ‘Trial and Error’

Trial and Error has seen its last day in court after all.

Despite a push to find a new home for the true crime spoof, the NBC comedy series has been officially canceled after two seasons.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, producers Warner Bros. TV hoped to find a new home for the show following an attorney (Nicholas D’Agosto) and his team of small-town investigators, after the network’s option to renew the series expired in fall 2018.

The outlet reports that attempts to find a home for the series in a new network or streaming service, led by show runner Jeff Astrof and executive producer Matt Miller, were unsuccessful. The studio, however, reportedly is still open to continuing the series in the future should the opportunity present itself.

The show followed a season-long legal case involving the residents of the small town of East Peck. Season one featured John Lithgow as its primary defendant, while Kristin Chenoweth took on center stage during Season 2.

Along with D’Agosto, the series also starred Jayma Mays, Sherri Shepherd, Steve Boyer and Amanda Payton.

Trial and Error was never a hit in the ratings, though its cult following and critical reception kept it a topic of conversation within the industry. The outlet reports Season 1 had an 86 percent rating on RottenTomatoes.com, while Season 2 had a 91 percent.

Astroff remained a vocal supporter of renewing the comedy series on his Twitter throughout the search for a new home. Back in November, the showrunner made headlines after saying possible awards buzz would improve the chances of the show returning.

“Wanna #SaveTrialAndError? Let’s bring home some hardware!” Astrof wrote in one tweet.

“I know I shouldn’t do this, but every single time I read about another pilot being picked up I think, “weLL THAT’S not going to be better than [Trial and Error] it’s like watching an ex-girlfriend date C’s,” he wrote in another tweet back in November.

Astroff has not updated his social media since news broke of the official cancellation on Wednesday.

Trial and Error was also one of NBC’s last few series to not be owned by the network’s studio. After this cancellation, Warners now only has two series still airing on NBC: veteran crime procedural Blindspot, which is still waiting for word on a possible fifth season, and new series Manifest — which sits as the No.1 new broadcast network drama but has seen some decline in viewership.