TV's 2023 cancellation ax hits sitcoms and dramas with ties to Michigan

With the writers strike only recently settled and the actors strike still underway, game shows and reality competitions are filling the gaps in the fall prime-time TV schedule.

The uncertainty over when viewers can expect their favorite dramas and comedies to return has overshadowed another seasonal ritual: the news about shows that didn't survive the broadcast, cable and streaming chopping block.

The heavy toll this year includes several series that showcased the work of emerging and veteran actors and producers who hail from Michigan, particularly the Detroit region. In order to say a proper goodbye, here's a look at hometown favorites who got the pink slip (and one lucky show that earned a reprieve).

'Welcome to Flatch' (Fox)

Although this quirky comedy about the residents of a fictional rural town was set in Ohio, executive producer and Mt. Clemens native Paul Feig ("Freaks and Geeks," "Bridesmaids") brought it his very Michigan knack for treating underdog characters with respect. For two underrated seasons, it used a mockumentary format to tell the story of Kelly (Holmes) and Shrub (Sam Straley) ― two cousins with painful family issues — along with teen idol-turned-pastor Joe (Seann William Scott), his journalist ex-girlfriend Cheryl (Aya Cash) and other oddballs who will be sorely missed.

'American Auto' (NBC)

Another sitcom gone too soon, this inside look at the corporate workplace of a struggling Detroit automotive company was a handsome, polished vehicle from "Superstore" creator Justin Spitzer. It starred Ana Gasteyer as the Mary Barra-ish CEO (at least in terms of those leather jackets) and rising actor Tye White, a Detroiter who brought car cred to his role as Jack, an assembly line worker who's promoted to the white-collar ranks. How would season three have responded to real-life events like the ongoing UAW strike? Now we'll never know.

'A League of Their Own' (Amazon Prime Video)

This reboot of the 1992 movie starring Geena Davis and Madonna brought some important and overlooked themes (racism, LGBTQ discrimination) to the saga of the Rockford Peaches, a team from an all-women baseball league formed during World War II. It featured Detroit's own Chante Adams as Max, a star pitcher who's fighting a war on three fronts, as the Tony nominee told the Free Press last year: "She’s Black, she’s queer, and she’s a woman." When the show was canceled after one season (even though a second and final season had been given the OK), co-creator Abbi Jacobson ("Broad City") called claims that it got the ax because of the writers and actors strike "bull---- and cowardly" on Instagram.

'Winning Time' (HBO)

Word that there would be no third season of "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" arrived on the heels of the premiere of the second season's finale, which ended with the Lakers losing their 1984 championship faceoff against the Boston Celtics. Talk about the agony of defeat. As episode director Salli Richardong told the Hollywood Reporter weeks before the news: "We don’t want to end with the Celtics winning. That’s awful." Still, the controversial drama was a clear win for Quincy Isaiah, who hails from Muskegon. The acting newcomer, a Kalamazoo College, alum gave a charismatic breakout performance as Magic Johnson and deserves a spot immediately on another winning production.

'Single Drunk Female' (Freeform)

The critically beloved show about twentysomethings facing the challenges of adulthood lasted two seasons before proving once again, as IndieWire lamented, "that networks don’t invest long-term in women-fronted shows that focus on 'messy' millennial women." Among the cast members who'll be missed is Sasha Compere, who was born and raised in Detroit. The University of Michigan alum played Brit, a young doctor and ex-best friend of Sam (Sofia Black-D'Elia), the recovering alcoholic of the title. Compere brought subtle complexity to the role of a supporting character who has put up with enough from her bestie. Let's hope she gets a chance, soon, to play the lead.

'All Rise' (OWN)

The legal drama was canceled by CBS after two seasons, then saved by OWN for a third season. But there won't be a fourth season for activist Judge Lola Carmichael, played with distinction by Simone Missick, who also was an executive producer of the series. The 1999 graduate of Detroit's Renaissance High School (and Howard University) already had grabbed attention for playing Detective Misty Knight in Netflix's Marvel shows "Luke Cage," "The Defenders" and "Iron Fist." If there is justice in Hollywood, she will be playing another hero, super or otherwise, soon.

'61st Street' (the CW)

Courtney B. Vance is one of those performers who makes anything he appears in better. So it's doubly welcome that the CW is providing a haven to "61st Street," a powerful drama about corruption in Chicago's legal system. AMC aired the show's first season, but pulled the plug on airing the already-shot second season. The CW stepped in, however, with plans to show both seasons. The start date is expected to be during the 2023-24 midseason. Reminder to Vance fans: In Detroit, the CW's prime-time offerings have moved from WKBD-TV (Channel 50) to WADL-TV (Channel 38).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 6 TV shows with Michigan connections won't be back this season