Ok.. So...

The writer's strike killed it

The writer's strike killed it

Just re watched then on netflix. Great and funny show

I thought it tried too hard.. Weird mix between IT Crowd and AD (and not in a good way).

One liners and no debth. It had a chance, but was afraid to actually try anything new, just tetered on the edge.

For me, it will always be on my short list of shows "cancelled too soon." As much as Firefly. It was one of the funniest shows on television, with the "we must NOW insult co-workers" episode one of the funniest episodes of TV I've ever seen. And then to watch the outtakes? I cried laughing every time. It was a great cast, with great characters.

Let's not consider the lack of promos and jerking it around on the schedule.

This show was exceptionally well written and had a strong cast, so those issues are out also.

It seems like a really bad fit with Scrubs, which had really run its course by the year Ted was released, so it would cause it to sink. Plus it was on Tuesday nights, which is a historically tough night for comedy. ABC didn't yet have its sitcom lineup Wednesdays, so that could have made a difference today.

In its second season, it was yanked shortly after midseason. Again, I believe Scrubs is to blame (it was really on life support).

IMO, the show's only flaw was that it chose a single POV show, focusing on the growth of one character, and the key relationship with Linda was really thrown at us. Perhaps so much so that we couldn't get away from it.

Single POV shows are a tough sell to audiences because it all boils down to the titular character. While Ted was incredibly handsome, he was a little bland, and not really that interesting to watch since he's the nice guy. If the show had focused on Veronica as the lead, it would be a massive hit (and probably still on today). Veronica is not only hysterical, she's much more interesting to watch than Ted.

Yes, the core cast was small, consisting of five characters (plus Dr. Bhamba as a recurring guest), which is standard for single POV shows. If Bhamba had been written as main cast, a show of six (or more) characters is technically an ensemble, so there's really no limit to creative direction or character arcs since the show focuses on no particular lead. Sure, the title would have had to change, but the successful single POV sitcom (like Seinfeld, Frasier, or Everybody Loves Raymond) is an increasingly rare find these days. They worked well prior to the year 2005, but don't really hold structure relevant to today's viewers.