Well, you’d have to be Ray Charles (who’s both blind and dead) if you didn’t see this one coming: CBS has decided to shove its gay sitcom, Partners, back into the closet.
The freshman sitcom has been pulled from the schedule effective immediately, Deadline reports.
Starring David Krumholtz and the openly gay Michael Urie as a hetero and a homo joined at the proverbial hip, the series was based on the real-life relationship between creators, David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, who last struck gold ten years ago with Will & Grace.
The comedy hit an all-time low in the ratings this week but was never a critic’s darling to begin with – sentiments ranged from “not awful” and “derivative” to “annoying” and “sour and joyless.”
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Partners helped CBS claw its way from the depths of diversity representation in what GLAAD called “an authentic and conscious effort” in its annual Where Are We on TV? report. Too bad they didn’t put more effort into producing a better show.
But then again its CBS and Two and a Half Men is still darkening their airwaves, a repeat of which will replace Partners next week on the schedule.
MK Ultra
Sitcoms in general just aren’t what they used to be.
Comedy IS derivative, with the same jokes being told since the dawn of humor. The thing is, a good sitcom will take those jokes and make them their own, putting their own fresh, clever spin on it.
IMO lately writers have gotten lazy and just present the flat joke, hoping the likeability of the characters can make up for it.
Ron Jackson
Damn, that’s too bad. I liked it! Partners is better than The New Normal which is suppose will be cancelled any day now.
Eddie Jr
The premise was OK but to me there was zero chemistry between the characters.
I really like Michael Urie but he seemed to be channeling Jack McFarlane.
kayakriver
Re: Ron Jackson. What are you talking about? The New Normal is doing ok ratings wise and their network ordered a full series. It’s so much better than Partners. They have such great characters. I wanted to like Partners but it’s not funny and Urie’s character is so annoying.
Daniel-Reader
That was the only show I watched on CBS, the rest are so boring and aimed at 90 year olds.
Dionte
This is my first time hearing about this show, that sucks.
TrekBear
For all that Will and Grace did, it was still a straight sitcom with a gay tint.
papparon
I watched the first two episodes and was extremely disappointed. I could tell that it would not last long. It was so badly written and acted to the point that it was embarrassing, if not outright insulting to gays. It is sad that we have to lose any representation of ourselves in prime time, but this one was not one to be proud of.
DickGreenleaf
I’ll miss Brandon Routh as Wyatt. His character was sweet and he is a hunk. Even the straight character Joe commented “He’s a 6’3″ Adonis with porcelain skin and legs for arms!”
balehead
Michael Urie was awful!! At least Brandon Routh was put out of his misery!!!
MMDD
Just to clarify, Michael Urie is not gay. He’s bisexual, or as he prefers to identify, “queer.”
Eric Auerbach
Calling this show a “comedy” seems like a bit of an overstatement.
petensfo
I liked it, although I always find laugh-tracks super annoying. It might have worked if the characters had a little more time to develop; both the leads were so exaggerated, even for a sit-com.
Too bad. I liked that the world was being shown a best friends scenario, straight & gay. It gives guys that need it, permission to buddy up with their gays.
DickGreenleaf
At least Michael Urie’s time is now freed up so he can begin filming “Such Good People” with Randy Harrison.
pscheck2
One poster said Urie is not gay? He is bi? Oh, what fine distinctions we have in describing one’s sexuality (how about “I’m str8, I only do gay porn for pay? (ahem, a bottom too and su*ks co*k–o.k. str8s, its o.k. to get it on with your buddies, for its allowed as long as you say you’re str8!)
Red Meat
I never even knew this show excised.
DuMaurier
I meant to watch this, somehow missed it and now I guess I won’t have the chance. I don’t know if it really was just hopeless, but there have been a number of sitcoms that started off not-great and got better. I think the first season of Will and Grace was kind of glum and tedious, then they found their footing and it got crazier and funnier. Sometimes it takes some time to sharpen the characterizations and get the rhythm down (I think that was true of Friends, and even oldies like I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke), but they don’t give new shows that kind of time anymore, and with so many zillions of channels it’s tough to stand out now.
GayBacon
I didn’t even know this was on tv. wtf CBS advertisement department?!
Hannah
I tried to like this show. Michael Urie was definitely a favorite since Ugly Betty. I really wanted this to be successful for him. My problem with the show was that it was so much like”Will and Grace” but it was missing something. After the second episode I realize they were missing Karen. I could find a Will, Jack, Grace, and even Rosario. Maybe it was just had too many similarities with too many holes in the writing/plot. The characters didn’t have the chemistry. Even the couples were not believable. Wyatt and Louis didn’t make since. Joe and Ali didn’t make sense. Louis seemed to have more chemistry with her than Joe. “The New Normal” has its flaws, but it always had a better chance than “Partners.” CBS has greater rating expectations than NBC. NBC, home of “Will & Grace” and “Friends,” seems to give shows more time to grow. If “Partners” was on Fox it might have been given a full season order already. Heaven knows that “Glee” would not have survived a full season on CBS. “Partners” had to be awesome in the ratings to survive and it just couldn’t do it this early in the season.
BlogZilla
I would think part of the problem is, a lot more people these days have tuned out of tv, period
darkorient
I like the idea, it just wasn’t well-executed. But I am sure they could’ve progressed in time. Such a shame. Gonna miss Brandon Routh.