No More “Starter Wife”?

I just couldn’t believe my eyes when I read this this morning!

USA Network has filed for divorce from The Starter Wife, citing irreconcilable ratings.

When the Debra Messing-fronted Wife debuted in 2007 as a six-hour miniseries, it attracted more than 5 million viewers and went on to earn 10 Emmy nominations. However, ratings for its 10-episode first season averaged just 2.4 million viewers — a decent number by most cable standards, but not for USA, where its top shows (Burn Notice, Monk) regularly pull in around 6 million.

In an exclusive statement, USA called Starter Wife a “critical and creative success,” and added that the Dec. 12 season finale served as a “satisfying conclusion” to the franchise.

Source.

So, here’s my question: if USA called it a “critical and creative success”, why cancel it? And I am definitely not satisfied with its conclusion in December. Speaking of that, did the showrunners know they were shooting the last episode in the series back then? Was that why it was wrapped up so nicely?

This Nice Girl doesn’t feel very nice right now.