We're Without Her

As you probably heard by now, ABC canceled the sitcom "I'm With Her," after it did poorly in the ratings against Fox's no-talent show "American Idol." This is probably the dumbest decision ABC has made since Thursday.

"I'm With Her" may not have been a hit right of the ballpark, like CBS's "Two and a Half Men," but it did respectably well in the ratings before Fox debuted the third installment of "American Idol" in January, regularly showing up among the top 25 shows every week. Also, "I'm With Her" retained more than ninety percent of the audience from "8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter," which it followed on ABC.

Once Fox's insufferable assault on popular music returned, though, "I'm With Her" was doomed. The continued success of "American Idol" left the three major networks in a fight for second place on Tuesday nights in the 8 PM Eastern Time hour, and ABC had trouble even by that standard. "I'm With Her" not only should have been renewed, it should have been moved to a better time slot; having found a small but loyal audience, it could have prospered handsomely away from Fox's Tuesday night reality shows (including Paris Hilton's half-hour reality show, "The Simple Life," which was pitted directly against "I'm With Her") and found a larger audience. ABC, alas, didn't bother to give it a chance. After summer reruns, "I'm With Her" will be gone. :-( If this is how ABC treats its better shows, they deserve to be in fourth place.

One person who does not deserve this cancellation is Teri Polo, who played the glamorous movie star who dates a teacher. Polo is a rare gem among sitcom actresses; she's funny, beautiful, and extraordinarily talented, and "I'm With Her" was a perfect vehicle for her. ABC obviously doesn't realize how much they've lost by letting her go; it's like the Boston Red Sox letting Babe Ruth (or, for a more recent example, Alex Rodriguez) go to the Yankees. I predict that Teri Polo will become the big movie star similar to the one she played on TV (she has already appeared in the movie "Meet the Parents," and she will be in the sequel due in theaters this December), and if ABC ever approaches her about doing another sitcom, she'll be able to give them an unequivocal "No!"

Teri Polo may not be a big star now, but she already considers herself a successful actress. She definitely has a bright future ahead.

Unlike her sitcom. :-(

P.S. "The Red Carpet - An 'I'm With Her' Fansite" is still on the Internet, and as long as it's still on, my link to it will remain.