After three seasons, FXX has canceled the Jay Baruchel-starring comedy Man Seeking Woman.
Man Seeking Woman is one of those unlucky shows that is widely critically acclaimed, but has a low viewership. The recent third season scored an 89 on Metacritic and a coveted 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. We at Paste were big fans. For the most part, both viewers and critics who watched Man Seeking Woman really loved it.
However, as we know, in the end it all comes down to ratings. According to THR, the show only had a total of 367,000 viewers, with 268,000 viewers among the desired 18-49 demographic. For comparison, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia pulled in 1.5 million total viewers for their season 12 premiere, and continues to break records. In the end, MSW’s small-but-loyal viewership and critical praise weren’t enough to save it.
It’s a little surprising, considering FX topper John Landgraf’s formula for renewing a show—critics, viewers and the network all get one vote, with a two-thirds vote grounds for renewal. Perhaps the viewership wasn’t so loyal after all, or maybe everyone felt the season three finale was a good stopping point—no spoilers, but many viewers considered the ending to be deeply satisfying and full of closure.
Now is a good but sad time to revisit Paste’s “5 Reasons to Watch Season 3 of Man Seeking Woman on FXX,” as well as our recent interview with creator Simon Rich here.