Save ‘The Mick’: Why This Is the Fox Cancellation That Hurts the Most

That screaming you’ve heard for the past better part of a day is the sound of the TV-watching internet shrieking about Fox’s Comedy Bloodbath (May 10th a day that will live in sitcom infamy). Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Last Man on Earth, and The Mick have all been given the axe by Fox, a network that’s also saying goodbye to New Girl this season. My heart, it is torn to pieces, ablaze in a trash can. But all the justified caterwauling has been focused on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. And then there’s been the next wave of mourning, all focused on how B99 was great but how people are also gonna miss The Last Man on Earth. And then… that’s it. No love for The Mick in my timeline, aside from my continued anger and panic, tweeted into a void.

Well, no longer! Here I am: picture me standing in a burning mansion, cheap beer in my hand and blood on my clothes, screaming to the high heavens that The Mick deserves better than this. This ain’t a contest between these three shows, three shows cut down in their prime. They are all good, they are all great, and they all deserve to be picked up by Hulu ASAP. But if no one else is gonna give The Mick the Viking funeral it deserves, then I’ll do the dirty job. And if this flaming funeral proves to be premature (my fingers are crossed Hulu, which makes typing this difficult!), whatever–the characters fo The Mick have clawed their way out of a grave many times before.

The Mick deserves better than this because it has, hands down, the best comedic lead on any show on any network right now. Kaitlin Olson is a five-alarm fire and a Category 5 hurricane all in one, a comedian with such absolute control over her delivery and physicality that every twitch and devastating pratfall seems dangerous. The Mick plucked Olson, the best and most under-appreciated part of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and built a show around her that not only matched her chaotic energy, but somehow enhanced it. Putting Olson’s Mickey, a hard-drinking scammer with a heart of knockoff gold, in charge of kids was a brilliant idea. The Mick is The Nanny, except this caretaker threatens principals, smashes science fair projects, breaks into homes, and blows up butts all in the name of taking care of the kids she’s been saddled with. It’s so rare to see a show that is so keenly aware of who its lead is and what they can do. The Mick was built for Olson, and she has never been better than she is here.

But if Olson was the only great thing about this show, eh, then maybe it would deserve to get the chop after two seasons. She’s not. The Mick deserves better than this because of Carla Jimenez, another comedic force of nature who complements Olson’s every punch and kick. As maid-turned-confidante Alba, Jimenez is the breakout star. She’s evolved from the put-upon help, invisible in a dowdy uniform, to a wide-eyed brawler, armed with a flask instead of a feather duster. Mickey’s been a dangerous influence on Alba over the course of two seasons, but the two have evolved into a legit Lucy and Ethel as they’ve accidentally abducted children and enacted over-the-top schemes to befriend Jennie Garth. Jimenez is a revelation, primarily because she’s so, so damn funny, but also because TV comedies flat-out never cast women that look like her–and if they do, they definitely don’t lock her in a train bathroom and engage in a battle of wits with a rat. Jimenez is hilarious.

The Mick also deserves better because, well, think of the children. Seriously, The Mick made me, a guy that kinda avoids sitcoms starring those not old enough to vote, a devoted fan of Sofia Black-D’Elia, Thomas Barbusca, and Jack Stanton. As I wrote last year (I have been stumping for this show hard, and apparently no one is listening to me!), The Mick is drunk TGIF. The entire show succeeds because the kids are even more amoral and gross than Mickey. They fight, they scream, they scam–they’re truly a match for Mickey. And over the course of two seasons, they’ve all proven themselves to be expert physical comedians, like when Barbusca’s Chip sliced off most of his fingers (don’t worry, he was fine in the next episode; The Mick is a devilish cartoon). Particularly noteworthy is Stanton’s sweet, elementary-school-aged Ben–a sometimes gender nonconforming kid who loves fire and Mr. Magoo-ing his way through dangerous situations. These kids became comedy geniuses, and they learned from the best.

And that’s really why The Mick deserves better, because it got better week after week. After starting off with one of the funniest pilots I’ve seen in a while, the show found its voice fast and focused on its ensemble. This show started as a vehicle for Olson, who remained laser focused throughout, but I started tuning in for the entire cast. That’s the sign of a show that’s working. Come for Olson, stay for the rest.

Two seasons is not enough. Brooklyn Nine-Nine got 112 episodes. Last Man on Earth got 67. The Mick is being cut down at 37, ending on a truly harrowing season finale that was only funny when I thought there’d be an episode 38 to tidy things up (there are no lasting side effects in The Mick-verse, which is one reason why its pure escapsim). That’s why this one hurts the most. The Mick is not finished. Someone needs to save the Pembertons. This family has survived arson and con artists and car crashes, there’s no reason why they can’t survive cancellation too.

The Mick deserves better.

Where to stream The Mick