It has been a hellish week for television with several networks canceling a significant number of shows. FOX is the latest network to clean house, canceling two freshman shows – Our Kind of People and Pivoting.
Our Kind of People, created by Karin Gist and Wendy Calhoun, premiered on FOX on September 21, 2021. Based on a book of the same name by Lawrence Otis Graham, Our Kind of People follows Angela Vaughn, a single mother as she tries to reclaim her family’s name. However, not everything is as it appears to be; Angela soon discovers a dark secret from her mother’s past that alters her world. Yaya DaCosta led the show’s cast as Angela Vaughn, appearing alongside Joe Morton as Teddy Franklin, Morris Chestnut as Raymond Dupont, and Lance Gross as Tyrique Chapman. Other cast members include Nadine Ellis, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Alana Kay Bright, and Kyle Bary.
Our Kind of People theoretically had everything to make a successful show – an all-star cast, an intriguing plot, and a hit show as its lead in. However, the series existed almost entirely on borrowed time as it opened to poor-to-mixed reviews, acquiring a 33% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 53 out of 100 score on Metacritic. Our Kind of People also had to contend with low viewership ratings throughout its run, despite airing after the FOX hit show, The Resident.
The other show to receive the boot is Pivoting, a comedy series which premiered on the network on January 9. Pivoting followed a trio of friends – Amy, Jodie, and Sarah – who decide to turn their lives around after the sudden death of their friend, Coleen. The three make impulsive decisions in their pursuit of happiness, ‘pivoting’ the direction of their lives in the process. The show starred Eliza Coupe, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Maggie Q, as the leading trio. Other main cast members included Tommy Dewey, Robert Baker, Colton Dunn, JT Neal, and Marcello Reyes.
Much like Our Kind of People, Pivoting had an all star cast in its favor, with the three leads having previously starred in successful TV shows. Coupe previously appeared in Scrubs, Happy Endings, and Future Man, while Goodwin appeared in Once Upon a Time and Why Women Kill. Q is also widely known for her roles in Nikita and Designated Survivor. However, unlike Our Kind People, Pivoting was a critical darling from its premiere. The series opened to favorable reviews and earned the uncommon 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the positive reception and the television legacy of the show’s cast, Pivoting was unable to land the audience it needed for sustenance. It seems FOX did not have faith that either of the shows would grow in subsequent seasons.
The final episode of Our Kind Of People aired on January 25, 2022, while Pivoting’s last episode aired on March 10, 2022.
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