CBS Crosses 'Ex List' Off the Schedule

By Daniel Fienberg, Zap2It.com | October 28, 2008

Elizabeth Reaser, 'The Ex List'

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Friday drama will be replaced by repeats in the short-term

CBS has pulled the ratings starved romantic dramedy "The Ex List" from its schedule effective immediately.

Expect the move to launch a wave of schadenfreude from fans of " Moonlight."

"The Ex List" becomes becomes the first new drama pulled from a network schedule this season, though " Opportunity Knocks" and "Do Not Disturb" were previously canned by ABC and FOX respectively. The series hasn't been officially cancelled, though, so the fate of its remaining unaired episodes is up in the air. Currently shooting its 11th episode of the season, "The Ex List" will remain in production at least until Friday.

Based on a popular Israeli format, "The Ex List" launched this fall amidst intense scrutiny, premiering in a troubled timeslot between " Ghost Whisperer" and "Numb3rs" on CBS' otherwise strong Friday night. Over the past three seasons, CBS has filled that hour with first "Close to Home," then the vampire drama "Moonlight" and finally "The Ex List," losing viewers with each swap.

The series, which stars Elizabeth Reaser as a love-starved young woman recycling through past romances in search of The One, also faced a creative challenge before its premiere, as original showrunner Diane Ruggiero exited the production with only six episodes in the can.

While "The Ex List" managed to narrowly win its time period in the key 18-49 demographic through its first few airings, it hit a ratings low this past week, drawing fewer than 5.6 million viewers. Wedged between the nearly 10 million viewers for "Ghost Whisperer" and the nearly 9.1 million for "Numb3rs," that obviously wasn't enough for CBS.

CBS will replace "The Ex List" with "NCIS" repeats on Oct. 31 and Nov. 7 and will air a repeat of "Numb3rs" on Nov. 14.

The network has yet to announce long-term plans for Friday nights, though CBS only has a limited assortment of potential midseason fill-ins available, including the serialized horror-drama " Harper's Island."