Netflix culling four comedy series after short runs

According to Deadline reports, Netflix has opted not to proceed with new seasons of four comedy series: the multi-camera The Crew, Country Comfort and Mr. Iglesias and single-camera Bonding.

Netflix’s do not commission pilots but go straight to series.  The industry generally considers pilots to be a good testing ground for new for comedy but for Netflix, the first series serves as a de facto pilot, which is an expensive method of audience research.

The Crew, headlined by Kevin James, who, no matter what he’s in, is Kevin James: fine if you’re a KJ fan but if you’re ambivalent, not so much. Also not being renewed is Country Comfort, starring Katherine McPhee and Eddie Cibrian, both ending after just one series; Mr. Iglesias, starring Gabriel Iglesias, produced two series, which were released in three parts; and Bonding, created and directed by Rightor Doyle, also did two series.

Netflix had a successful start in the comedy arena with comedies like Grace and Frankie and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and multi-camera sitcoms like Fuller House and The Ranch. Since then the channel has had several failures with half-hour comedy series: it recently cancelled Jamie Foxx’s Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! after just one season.

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