FOX Boss Comments on Surprising Cancelation of Pivoting After One Season

Last week, FOX stunned fans when the network announced that it was cancelling the critically acclaimed comedy Pivoting after just one season. Now, president of entertainment at the network Michael Thorn is speaking out, calling the decision to end series a “hard call” and that it came after long negotiations between the network and the studio, Warner Bros. Television, according to Deadline.

“Liz Astrof and Aaron Kaplan are great partners, and we have to make tough decisions,” Thorn said. “We had to look at it holistically, not just as a show, but as a business and in this case, we were sorry not to renew it.”

In Pivoting, after the sudden death of their friend Coleen, three middle-aged friends, Amy, Jodie, and Sarah, decide that life is short, and they must “pivot” their lives in new directions. As they each make impulsive choices in an attempt to find happiness, it strengthens their friendship. The series starred Eliza Coupe, Ginnifer Goodwin, Maggie Q, Tommy Dewey, JT Neal, and Marcello Reyes.

The series had previously been seen as a strong contender to be renewed. The series as a strong performer on Hulu, and on top of that had a rare perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, making it one of the best-reviewed new broadcast television series. Per Deadline‘s report, the network wanted to renew Pivoting simply couldn’t come to an agreement with Warner Bros. TV, with some sources indicating that several factors may have been at play including that a renewal was contingent on a cost-saving production move to Los Angeles that didn’t pan out, a request for a license fee reduction that didn’t work out,  or possibly even that with FOX’s pact with Hulu set to expire next year, that was a factor as well.

Pivoting is just one of two freshman series that FOX cancelled last week. The network also cancelled Our Kind of People, which starred Yaya DaCosta, Nadine Ellis, Lance Gross, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Alana Kaya Bright, Kyle Bary, Joe Morton, and Morris Chestnut. On Monday, the network announced the renewals of Welcome to Flatch, The Resident, and 9-1-1.

Were you disappointed by the cancellation of Pivoting? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. You can also check out a list of all the shows cancelled last week here.