These 13 Shows Are Being Axed

It wasn't quite the Red Wedding, but Thursday brought viewers news of more than a dozen prime-time shows being axed to make room for new programs next season, the AP reports. ABC took the sword to seven series—including country music drama Nashville and veteran whodunit Castle—while Fox is sacrificing five freshman shows, including comedies starring aging pretty boys Rob Lowe and John Stamos. Meanwhile, CBS is deleting CSI: Cyber after its sophomore season, thus laying to rest the CSI dynasty that encompassed four series during a 16-year span. The official body count—as well as new programming blood for the 2016-2017 season—will be rolled out next week at the networks' "upfront" sessions for advertisers. But through a combination of network leaks and networks jumping the gun, a flood of announcements got early exposure Thursday.

Perhaps the sourest note came from ABC with word that it's canceling Nashville after four seasons. Never a ratings hit, that series enjoyed a loyal following, especially in Music City, where the show was filmed. In addition, Castle, which debuted in 2009, and sophomore series Agent Carter and Galavant won't be back. Freshman series Blood & Oil and The Family have also been yanked, as has The Muppets, for which longtime affection for Miss Piggy and its other characters failed to translate into viewership. Fox is dumping comedies Grandfathered (starring Stamos) and The Grinder (starring Lowe), as well as midseason entries Bordertown, Minority Report, and Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life. New series in the works include an ABC period drama from Scandal producer Shonda Rhimes about the aftermath of the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. (If you need cheering up, here are 10 shows you can binge-watch on Netflix.)