Status: Cancelled
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.
Mannnn I’m so disappointed. I don’t watch alot of tv. I just found this series in 2018 and honestly it should STILL be on. I’m so disappointed. My daughter loves it, it’s super fun and clean. I think my favorite was the Balle Balle episode. They literally could do ANYTHING they wanted. They were so creative with the show. Sigh…. eye roll. Oh well. I wish I had known so in could have added to the ratings.
Personally, I hated the show when it first started. But I continued to check out episodes from time to time and really started liking it by the end of its first season. Then in the second season, it really started to hit its stride. Sadly, that was too late.
This show had soooo much potential. A new host of Aliens could have taken over the block, their rivals perhaps that wanted to harm earth? Also I wanted to see how Larry handled the rest of his pregnancy. Such a shame that it was cancelled. 🙁
I have repeatedly watched The Neighbors online since YOU GUYS took it off !!!! THIS is exactly the same excuse you used on the other ABC SHOWS. It was a great comedy ,, gone too soon. You have done this a ton of times,,,, Body of Proof,, ( GREAT SHOW!!! ). There was SO MUCH TO LEARN. About what M.E.’s
do AND help the cops solve crimes. VERY interesting!!
And a few more in the past 2-3 seasons. But the WORST THING you do is NOT TYING UP ALL THE SHOWS to let us see a proper ending. NOT COOL.
OK,,, just venting. Got to go to watch The Neighbors for the 30th time. Maybe tonite,,, I’ll watch
“Body of Proof over and over and over. Maybe you could make a show with Jamie Gertz and Dana Delany
Together. They are BOTH seasoned actresses,and would be GREAT together. Just saying. Time to go. Time for dinner and more TV.
Sandi Flaim
By “you guys”, we assume you mean ABC. We liked the show and felt it deserved more seasons.