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Early retirement: NBC cancels ‘Betty White’s Off Their Rockers’

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NBC is doing its part to ease Betty White into retirement: The brass just axed her prank show “Off Their Rockers.”

Premiered last year, the show was supposed to exploit the abundant adorableness of the 91-year-old White, a former “Mary Tyler Moore Show” regular whose career reignited after she appeared in a Snickers ad during the 2010 Super Bowl.

“Off Their Rockers” is a hidden-camera reality show a la “Candid Camera” or “Punk’d,” with the gimmick that White and other seniors are pranking much younger victims, with guests including Kim Kardashian and Nick Lachey. The idea came from a Belgian show called “Benidorm Bastards.”

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But while the early ratings showed vitality, “Rockers” soon ran out of steam. The second season premiere in January drew 5.6 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. By March, that number had dwindled to 3.7 million. The last episode aired Tuesday with 4 million viewers.

Don’t worry, though. White will have more to look forward to than early-bird buffets and bingo nights. She still has “Hot in Cleveland,” her TV Land sitcom that returns for season 5 later this year.

An NBC spokesman declined to comment.

What do you think of “Off Their Rockers” getting pushed out the door?

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Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT

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