The upheaval at A&E Network continued last Friday when the channel dropped its lone scripted original series, Nero Wolfe, after two seasons.
The Timothy Hutton vehicle aired its last original episode Aug. 18. The series averaged a 1.6, down from 1.9 during its debut season.
"Nero Wolfe
is a series that we're very proud of," said an A&E spokesman. "It was a modest success for us, but we've decided not to renew it for a third season."
The show originated under A&E senior vice president of programming Allen Sabinson, who left the network last month. It's the second original scripted series A&E refused to renew this year, after 100 Centre Street, which was canceled in February amid falling ratings.
Nero Wolfe's cancellation comes at the end of a summer season (May 27 through Aug. 18) in which A&E's ratings declined 15 percent to a 1.1, while the industry as a whole set record viewership marks, according to Nielsen Media Research figures.
