Ugly Betty will
end its run this spring, ABC confirmed Wednesday (Jan. 27).
Silvio Horta, the show's executive producer, and ABC
Entertainment Group chairman Steve McPherson released a joint statement.
"We've mutually come to the difficult decision to make this Ugly Betty's final season, and are
announcing now as we want to allow the show ample time to write a satisfying
conclusion," the statement read. "We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking
series, and felt it was important to give the fans a proper farewell."
ABC ordered 20 episodes of the show this season and still
has a handful in production. Horta will use those remaining episodes to tie up
unresolved plot lines.
The news was not entirely unexpected and was even anticipated
last season as the show had been experiencing ratings erosion in recent years.
This season, ABC moved Betty from Thursdays to Fridays, where it
continued to languish.
More recently, Betty filled the 10 p.m.
Wednesday slot formerly occupied by the canceled freshman drama Eastwick.
So far this season, Betty is averaging a 1.7
rating/5 share among the 18-49 demographic and 5.3 million total viewers.
That's down from last season's demo average of 2.6/7 and 8.1 million
viewers.
The finale is tentatively scheduled for April.
