Breaking In has broken back onto Fox’s schedule. Deadline reports that the Christian Slater led comedy that many thought had been busted by the network is being revived.
The series, which debuted to excellent numbers in the post American Idol slot on Wednesdays back in April, fell off dramatically without the Idol lead-in in May. Ratings for Breaking In’s final episode in May were in the range of a meager 3 million viewers.
Breaking In star Odette Annable certainly thought the series was done for as she has signed on as a regular on the new season of House on Fox. Annable will play one of Dr. House’s new team behind bars. TVLine reports however that Annable’s deal with House allows her to return to Breaking In while remaining on House.
Breaking In is a comedy that centers on the eccentric owner of a security company, played by Christian Slater, and his team of geeks and criminals, including Bret Harrison, Alphonso McAuley, Trevor Moore, Michael Rosenbaum and Odette Annable, who solve unsolvable security problems.
Breaking In is the show that just won’t die. According to the Deadline story, the show was set for the 2009-2010 season before Fox passed on it. Sony kept the series alive and in November of ’09 the network ordered two more scripts and then officially picked up the series.
So why did Fox reconsider canceling Breaking In? The Deadline story doesn’t make any accusations but Fox did announce the Breaking In deal alongside a deal to pick up another project from the show’s creator Adam F. Goldberg. That series, an as yet untitled 80’s set family comedy, had been pursued by all four major networks before landing at Fox. Was the Breaking In deal a payoff to get Goldberg’s other show? It’s fair to speculate.
Potential quid pro quo aside, might you give Breaking In a second chance? I can tell you that I liked what I saw of the series, especially Christian Slater’s eccentric boss; he’s both cool and creepy in classic Christian Slater fashion.
Breaking In is set to pull a Family Guy and return from cancellation at mid-season on Fox.