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‘Dads,’ ‘Surviving Jack’ and ‘Enlisted’ axed by Fox

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Fox’s “Dads,” which came under fire for what critics and others saw as offensive humor, has been canceled, along with two other freshman comedies, “Enlisted” and “Surviving Jack.”

“Dads” in particular has been a lightning rod for Fox, even before its premiere in September. The comedy starred Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi as a couple of thirtysomething men whose lives are turned upside-down when their politically incorrect fathers, played by Martin Mull and Peter Riegert, moved in with them.

Several critics lashed out at what they claimed was racist and misogynistic humor directed toward characters. They also said the series, which hailed from network favorite Seth MacFarlane (“Ted,” “Family Guy”) and two of his key writers, Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, was not funny.

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Despite the uproar, Fox Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly repeatedly voiced support for the show, and the series appeared to gather some momentum as the season wore on. But viewership never reached an acceptable level.

“Enlisted,” about three brothers on an Army base in Florida, also encountered controversy. Some military veterans maintained its early episodes lacked authenticity.

Midseason entry “Surviving Jack” starred Christopher Meloni as an ex-military man who struggles with being a good parent to his kids.

Fox also announced that it was passing on comedy pilots “Sober Companion,” starring Nick Frost as an attorney who is an addict and is assigned a sober escort to keep him straight, and “Cabot College,” about a women’s college that begins accepting men for the first time.

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