Back in October Seth MacFarlane’s first live action sitcom Dads got a pick up order to make an additional nine episodes, this would give the debut season a full 22 episode run but with ratings still dwindling Fox have now reduced the pick up order to 19. 

The three episode cut might be revoked but the network are reevaluating their midseason schedule, that does sort of sound like industry speak for “it’s earmarked for cancellation”. 

Should the series not return for beyond the February finale this wouldn’t be a total surprise, of all the new comedy shows to debut on Fox this season Dads has performed the poorest. Despite the involvement of some pretty talented people including Giovanni Ribisi, Seth Green and Ted co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, the series hasn’t endeared itself to critics or the type of audience share Fox were hoping for.

Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild will reunite with Giovanni Ribisi on the forthcoming comedy musical A Million Ways To Die In The West, if the title hadn’t given it away MacFarlane’s new movie is a western which also stars Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah Silverman. Westerns as a genre are notoriously difficult to turn into blockbusters, Cowboys and Aliens, Wild Wild West and this year’s The Lone Ranger all struggled to get bums on seats.