Man Up! Information

Man Up! is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from October 18 to December 6, 2011. On December 8, ABC announced the series had been cancelled due to low ratings. Only 8 episodes were aired on television, though all 13 episodes were available online. The episodes remained online through the end of January 2012, when they were removed from ABC's website.

Plot

The series revolves around the lives of three guys with "questionable childish behavior and lifestyles" who decide it's time to do the one thing they had "forgotten" to do: act like "real men". But they need to "grow up" a little before that can happen, even at their age. According to an on-screen graphic at the start of episode 2, "Finessing the Bromance", the show is set in Gahanna, Ohio.

Cast

• Amanda Detmer as Brenda Hayden
• Christopher Moynihan as Craig Griffith
• Dan Fogler as Kenny Hayden
• Henry Simmons as Grant
• Mather Zickel as Will Keen
• Teri Polo as Theresa Hayden Keen
• Jason Rogel as Henry Trunka

Production notes

The series was poised to be one of the four breakout hits for the 2011-12 television season (along with CBS's 2 Broke Girls, A Gifted Man, and How to Be a Gentleman) according to advertisers who had seen the pilot. Of the four shows, only 2 Broke Girls was renewed for a second season.

Critical reception

The series received negative reviews, based on Metacritic's overall index, which placed the series at 37 out of 100.

• The Hollywood Reporters Tim Goodman noted that the actors are just saddled in this sitcom world of limited potential, adding "How long can they play this joke?" and concluded that "Isn't it really time to let go of stereotypes and clichés and maybe write a sitcom that has more to joke about than one thing over and over again?"
• JAM! gave the series a "Thumbs Down," noting that "...if you're pining for the next great male sitcom, this isn't it."
• Varietys Brian Lowry noted that "...it'll take more than sociology to pump up this stale sitcom."
• The Oregonians Kristi Turnquist called the show "Unfunny" in her short review.
• Fantriads Matt Peterson found that among a mixed gender group of 25-34 year olds, this show ranked among the top 5 of weekly watched television series. This group described this show as, "a fresh take on comedy" and "laugh out loud funny," during online polls and questionnaires. Among other shows listed highly with this group were Last Man Standing and Grimm.
• TV Guides Matt Rouse called the series, "An insult to all genders".

Ratings

The debut episode had a modest start averaging a 2.4/6 among 18-49s, with 7.80 million viewers tuning in. However, it took a hit in its second week, averaging a 2.0/5 among 18-49 with 6.78 viewers tuning in, a drop of 21% from the first episode. It also found itself as among the shows that could become a candidate for cancellation according to TV By The Numbers Renew/Cancel Index based on the show's ratings.

On November 18, 2011, ABC pulled Man Up! from its Midseason lineup, despite a statement that it was considered a candidate for a second season pickup. However, TV By The Numbers had the series listed as "de facto canceled" as ABC has not ordered any more episodes, as eleven of the thirteen had already been produced at the time after the announcement was made.

On December 8, 2011, ABC pulled Man Up! from the schedule and replaced it with Work It on January 3, 2012, leaving only five episodes unaired and effectively cancelling the series altogether. (Work It would fare even worse in the Man Up time slot, being cancelled after airing just two episodes.) ABC posted the five unaired episodes of Man Up on the show's website as online exclusive episodes on December 13, 2011; they were removed from the website a month later.

No.	Episode	Air date	18-49 Rating	Viewers (Millions)	Weekly rank
1	"Pilot"		2.5	7.80	TBA
2	"Finessing the Bromance"		2.0	6.78	TBA
3	"Digging Deeper"		1.8	6.36	TBA
4	"Wingmen"		1.7	6.22	TBA
5	"Acceptance"		1.7	6.27	TBA
6	"High Road is the Guy Road"		1.9	6.29	TBA
7	"Disciplining The Keens"		1.7	6.59	TBA
8	"Men and Their Chickens"		1.6	4.82	TBA
9	"Camping"	(Unaired Online Exclusive)	"?	"?	"?
10	"Fear"	(Unaired Online Exclusive)	"?	"?	"?
11	"Up All Night"	(Unaired Online Exclusive)	"?	"?	"?
12	"Letting Go"	(Unaired Online Exclusive)	"?	"?	"?
13	"Be Who You're Not"	(Unaired Online Exclusive)	"?	"?	"?

International broadcasts

The series has been picked up in the following countries:

• In Canada by CTV Two, where it will debut at the same time as the ABC telecast.
• In Australia by Seven Network, starting in 2012.
• In Portugal by FX, and it started on February 1, 2012.
• In Norway by TVNorge.
• In Italy by Fox, and it started on April 6, 2012.
• In South Korea by FOXlife, and it will starts on May,2012.
• In Thailand by Fox Asia.
• In Israel by HOT3