In Memoriam: 'Ugly Betty'
What am I going to do without my weekly dose of Betty, Daniel, Hilda, Justin, Marc, Amanda, and the deee-lish-i-oso Wilhelmina?! Dammit -- hand me a tissue!
WAH!
Yesterday, ABC announced it was yanking "Ugly Betty" off the air at the end of this season, in spite of prolonged, passionate protests from devoted fans like myself over the past few months. The series finale will air this coming April, Variety reports.
A statement issued by series executive producer Silvio Horta and ABC Entertainment Group chairman Steve McPherson says, "We've mutually come to the difficult decision to make this 'Ugly Betty's' final season, and are announcing now as we want to allow the show ample time to write a satisfying conclusion. We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series, and felt it was important to give the fans a proper farewell."
Last season, ratings dipped, and ABC moved the show to Fridays last fall, a typical sitcom graveyard shift, and ratings bottomed out. This year, ABC tried defibrillating the show with a Wednesday 10 PM time slot, but it was no use. Betty's unceremonious fate was cast.
Why do I love Betty? Let me count the ways. First of all, it's an oh-so-refreshing spot-on send-up of the fashion industry that, for all its inherent fabulousness, can take itself WAY too seriously.
Secondly, the writing is brilliant. I've copped more one-liners off that show than free toiletries from hotel rooms. And shows that are at once hilarious and poignant are a rarity. I may have been in the throes of PMS, but I wept like a frickin' child during the episode when Hilda lost her fiance in a convenience store shoot-out.
Thirdly, any show that celebrates equality and aptly depicts the rapport between Man and Hag is utterly righteous. I'm hopelessly devoted to the hijinks of Marc and Amanda, as well as the trials and tribulations of young gay Justin and his mom, Hilda. And hello ... LIZA MINNELLI joining the cast?!?! How much more haglicious can you get?
Finally, there's Betty. Ah, sweet, virtuous Betty. There's a little Betty in every four-eyed, braces-faced girl with a dream. As a young, inexperienced girl, I bumbled into a three-year internship at my favorite radio station and was surrounded by a bevy of venerable personalities I so wanted to be like. In watching the early seasons of this show, it brought back each bristling moment of self-consciousness I felt when so close yet so far from my realized dreams.
Who hasn't felt the awkward, overwhelmed, fish-out-of-water vibe she did at Mode in the early days?
Well, Betty and crew, I can't thank you enough for the laughs. It's been so rewarding to see you emerge from your chrysalis of "ugly," to lose the wig and the wicked witch wardrobe. Perhaps our final reward will be the reveal of your brilliant smile when you lose the grills.