TNT has shut down its middle-aged male dramedy Men Of A Certain Age after just two years. The show featured an ensemble cast of veteran actors and garnered two Emmy nominations in as many seasons.

While the show won its fair share of fans among TV critics (Screen Rant not withstanding) it just couldn't keep up the numbers necessary for TNT to pick it up for a third season.

For their part, the network had nothing but good things to say about Men Of A Certain Age: "TNT has been proud to be a part of Men of a Certain Age for two seasons... [but] the audience simply hasn't built to the point where we can continue the series."

The numbers support the statement, while the 2009 series premiere netted more than 5 million viewers, the second season never even broke half that. Even more damning, the latest crop of episodes averaged less than half a million viewers in the key demographic.

It's a disappointing turn for Ray Romano, whose star power after the nine-year run of Everybody Loves Raymond helped gain the show some early notoriety. His co-stars Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street) and Scott Bakula (Star Trek: Enterprise) won't be thrilled, either.

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Emmy voters will be dismayed: the announcement came just one day after series star Andre Braugher received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, an honor he also achieved last year. Men of a Certain Age won Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for director Millicent Shelton at the 2010 Image Awards, among various other nominations.

While the show's small but loyal fan-base may be upset, it's not hard to see why TNT would drop a series with only average ratings. The cable landscape is becoming more and more competitive every year, and the network needs to make room on the schedule, and in the budget, for more lucrative shows like Falling Skies and the upcoming Dallas revival.

At least two of the leads have upcoming film projects to look forward to. Romano will reprise his role as Manny the mammoth next summer in the fourth Ice Age animated movie, Continental Drift. Braugher will appear in the southern comedy The Baytown Disco opposite Billie Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria.

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter