Aired: 2012-14 (2 Seasons Totaling 44 Episodes)
Network: ABC
Starring: Jami Gertz, Lenny Venito, Simon Templeman, Toks Olagundoye, Clara Mamet, Megan Park, Tim Jo, Ian Patrick
Series Website: abc.go.com/shows/the-neighbors
Description: Marty Weaver (Lenny Venito) just wants the best for his wife Debbie (Jami Gertz) and their three kids. That’s why he’s moving them to Hidden Hills, New Jersey, a gated community complete with its own golf course. Marty is certain that their new home will be a dream come true. And then, they meet the neighbors. The residents of Hidden Hills are a little… different. Larry Bird (Simon Templeman) introduces himself as the “leader” of the community. Then, he presents his wife, Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Toks Olagundoye) and their two sons (yes, they’re named after famous athletes — Dick Butkus and Reggie Jackson). After Debbie and Marty frantically try to make sense of the weird neighbors — very European? A cult? Amish athletes? — they discover that the entire Hidden Hills community is comprised of aliens from the planet Zabvron. Turns out the Zabvronians have been holed up in Hidden Hills for the past 10 years, awaiting instructions from back home. And the Weavers are the first humans who have ever lived amongst them. At first, the Weavers are ready to cut and run. But the aliens seem harmless enough. And there is a lot of closet space… So, they decide to stay and help their new neighbors adapt to life on this confusing planet we call home. ABC.com
Why Was It Cancelled? This series debuted to decent ratings but almost universally bad reviews. It saw its numbers drop throughout the season, but at the same time it started to improve quality-wise and it found its voice as a fun little sci fi spoof. Despite its low ratings, ABC saw fit to renew it for a second year, partially because sitcoms are cheaper to produce so it wasn’t as much of a risk. The show was moved to the Friday 8:30 PM EST timeslot after Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing and that seemed like a decent landing place where expectations would not be too high. But the ratings it earned in that hour failed to meet up to even those low expectations and the show was allowed to quietly head off to cancellation at the end of the year with very few sci fi fans even noticing its departure.