NBC Cancels Mindy Kaling-Produced Comedy ‘Champions’

Champions will not return to NBC for a second season.

The network made the decision to cancel the comedy series from writer and executive producer Mindy Kaling after one season.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, SVOD partner Netflix passed on picking up the family comedy for a second season but will continue to carry the show internationally after its June 12 streaming debut. Producers Universal Television, where Kaling is under an overall deal, are reportedly in discussions to find a new home for the series.

It is not clear if Hulu, which has in-season stacking rights to the comedy starring Anders Holm, is among the possible new homes for the show. Hulu previously rescued Universal TV-produced series The Mindy Project after Fox canceled the series.

The series revolved around Vince (Holm), a charismatic gym owner with no ambition who lives with his younger brother Michael (Andy Favreau), a gorgeous idiot. Their simple life of chasing women and working out hits a snap when Vince’s teenage son is dropped off on their doorstep by Priya (Kaling, who recurred on the series), one of his high school flings.

Kaling wrote the pilot alongside Mindy Project collaborator Charlie Grandy. The single-camera comedy hailed from Kaling’s production company as well as 3 Arts Entertainment.

Champions, which first debuted in March and wrapped up its first season in May, is among the comedies that have struggled to perform as part of NBC’s Thursday night comedy block. Of them, THR writes, Champions was perhaps the worst.

Even with live-plus-seven numbers, the series only held a 0.7 rating among adults 18-49 and 2.4 million viewers over its 10-episode first season. That made it the lowest-rated series of the 2017-2018 season an one of the five worst performers across all of the Big Four.

With the cancellation of Champions, NBC’s lineup of returning comedies for the 2018-19 season include The Good Place, Superstore, A.P. Bio and Will and Grace, along with new comedy series Abby’s, I Feel Bad and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Nine-Nine was picked up by NBC as a saving grace after Fox canceled the beloved comedy series at the end of its fifth season. Universal Television produces Nine-Nine.

This season, multiple broadcast shows were rescued from cancellation. Brooklyn Nine-Nine went to NBC from Fox, Lucifer found a new home at Netflix after Fox canceled it, and Designated Survivor is reportedly close to getting new life at Netflix after getting axed on ABC.

NBC has yet to decide on the fates of comedies Marlon and Trial and Error. Marlon premiered June 14, while Trial and Error will return for a second season led by Kristin Chenoweth on July 19.