NBC halts production on 'Sean Saves the World'

Not even comedy veteran Sean Hayes could save his NBC show.

After weeks of troubling ratings, the network has decided to stop production on Hayes' "Sean Saves the World," which just made its entry into NBC's calendar last fall.

According to reports, the network had additionally requested five extra episodes for the comedy's first season, but is stopping short of fulfilling that order.

Of the 18 episodes that were expected to be produced, 14 have been filmed and 12 have aired. The other two episodes that have yet to make it to TV might run after the Winter Olympics.

The cancellation of "Sean" isn't a huge surprise given its troublesome ratings. The series' January 24 episode had just a .7 rating in the 18-49 demographic, with 2.58 million watching. Meanwhile, "Sean's" CBS timeslot competition, Robin Williams' comedy "The Crazy Ones," was enjoying a 1.4 rating in the adult demo with 6 million tuning in.

The cancellation of "Sean" doesn't mean that NBC is giving up on showing a broader range of families on its network.

The concept for "Sean Saves the World" featured a gay man (Hayes) trying to raise his teen daughter alone while also juggling his career. On Tuesday, NBC announced that it ordered a comedy pilot from Ellen DeGeneres, one that will focus on a lesbian who decides to have a baby with her straight best friend just as soon as he falls in love.

Called "One Big Happy," the sitcom will be written by Liz Feldman, who's previously lent her talents to DeGeneres' daytime talk show and CBS' "Two Broke Girls."