Kelsey Grammer's "Hank", Whedon's "Dollhouse" canceled

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - It's the end of the road for Kelsey Grammer's "Hank" and Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse".

ABC has canceled the new comedy series starring former "Frasier" star, Grammer. The show is filming episode 10 and will stop production after wrapping that episode. ABC, which has aired five half-hours of "Hank", has no immediate plans to run the remaining five segments.

For the next few weeks, ABC will air a combination of comedy repeats and holiday specials in Wednesday 8 p.m. time slot occupied by "Hank."

"Hank", in which Grammer played a wealthy New York businessman forced to downsize, was mostly bashed by critics and has underperformed in the ratings in its time slot.

It was Grammer's second failed bid to follow up his successes in "Cheers" and "Frasier" His 2008 comedy series "Back to You" on Fox, in which he played a pompous news anchor, was pulled from the airwaves after one season.

"Dollhouse" was canceled by Fox after being picked up for a second-season despite low ratings. The sci-fi show starring Eliza Dushku is currently filming episode 11 and is expected to finish its 13-episode order.

After some dismal performances in the fall, despite the ratings bumps "Dollhouse" got from DVR viewing, Fox benched the show for the November sweeps after four episodes. It was not clear if Fox will air the remaining episodes starting December 4 as planned.

"Dollhouse" creator Joss Whedon on Wednesday shared his disappointment at Fox's decision.

"I don't have a lot to say," Whedon wrote in a post on Whedonesque.com. "I'm extremely proud of the people I've worked with: my star, my staff, my cast, my crew. I feel the show is getting better pretty much every week, and I think you'll agree in the coming months. I'm grateful that we got to put it on, and then come back and put it on again."

Whedon also addressed his plans. "I'm off to pursue internet ventures/binge drinking," he wrote. "Possibly that relaxation thing I've read so much about. By the time the last episode airs, you'll know what my next project is. But for now there's a lot of work still to be done, and disappointment to bear."

"Thank you all for your support, your patience, your excellent adverts. See you again," Whedon said in closing.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant and Bob Tourtellotte, Reuters)

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