Ugly Betty Cancelled

BURBANK: After four seasons, ABC is pulling the plug on Ugly Betty, with the series set to end its run in April.

The show, which launched on ABC in 2006, was inspired by the hit Latin American novela Betty, la fea. In its first season, Ugly Betty garnered a Golden Globe and was a ratings hit, generating an average viewership of 11 million. Viewership has fallen since then, however, particularly following the move to Friday nights. It is now occupying a Wednesday night position.

The president of the ABC Entertainment Group, Stephen McPherson, and the executive producers—who include Ben Silverman, Salma Hayek and Silvio Horta—issued a statement noting: "We’ve mutually come to the difficult decision to make this Ugly Betty‘s final season, and are announcing now as we want to allow the show ample time to write a satisfying conclusion. We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series, and felt it was important to give the fans a proper farewell."

The final episode is expected to air in mid-April.