It’s the end of the line for “Fresh Off the Boat”ABC has officially announced that the long-running comedy will be coming to an end after its sixth season. The show will wrap up its current 15-episode run, with an hour-long series finale set to air on Friday, February 21.
Created by Nahnatchka Khan, and loosely based on the memoir by chef Eddie Huang, “Fresh Off the Boat” follows an Asian-American family as they move from Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown to Orlando in the mid-1990s. Its ensemble cast includes Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler, Ian Chen, Lucille Soong, and more.
“We couldn’t be prouder of this game-changing show and the impact it has had on our cultural landscape,” said ABC Entertainment President, Karey Burke. “The success of ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ has helped pave the way for inclusion throughout the industry. Nahnatchka Khan and her brilliant creative team have created an unforgettable series with an Asian-American family front and center, something that hadn’t been done in two decades. The cast, led by Randall Park and Constance Wu, is one of the finest and funniest on television. We’ll miss the Huang family, and are eternally grateful for the incredibly heartfelt stories they have told these past six seasons.”
“I’m so proud of the show and what we’ve accomplished over the past six seasons,” said the show’s creator, Nahnatchka Khan. “Thank you to everyone at ABC and 20th Century Fox Television for going on this ride with us. It was truly a special experience and hopefully will forever be a reminder of all the stories out there that deserve to be told. Like B.I.G. said, ‘And if you don’t know, now you know.’”
Despite becoming a staple on ABC’s comedy lineup, the show’s cancellation doesn’t come as much of a surprise. “Fresh Off the Boat” has struggled in the ratings since moving to Friday nights this fall, averaging only a 0.5 live + same day rating in the adults 18-49 demo. Additionally, the contracts for several of the show’s cast members were set to expire after this season, and after star Constance Wu publicly expressed disappointment in the show’s renewal this past summer, many expected that she would not be renewing her contract for any additional seasons.
So thanks to the show’s declining ratings performance, combined with the possibility of losing several of its core cast members after this season, all signs seemed to be pointing toward “Fresh Off the Boat” coming to an end.
“Fresh Off the Boat” is now one of several ABC shows set to be ending this season, joining “Modern Family,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”