CBS has pulled the freshman John Goodman comedy "Center of the Universe" off the schedule, effective immediately.

The network will air "The King of Queens" reruns in the Wednesday 9:30 p.m. time slot until veteran "Yes, Dear" returns to the schedule and takes over the time period Feb. 16.

"King of Queens" and "Yes, Dear" ran in a Monday 8-9 p.m. block during the 2002-03 season.

"Center of the Universe," which boasted an all-star cast also including Jean Smart, Ed Asner and Olympia Dukakis , struggled to hold onto its "King of Queens" lead-in. In November, CBS ordered two additional episodes and six scripts from producer Warner Bros. TV, bringing the total order to 15 episodes.

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) There's a black hole in the middle of CBS' weekly schedule, as the network has removed the struggling freshman comedy "Center of the Universe." Since nature apparently abhors a vacuum, though, CBS has moved to fill that gap with the return of "Yes, Dear."
The John Goodman comedy has been pulled effective immediately and "Yes, Dear" will grab the Wednesday 9:30 p.m. ET time period starting on Feb. 16. The move will reunite "Yes, Dear" with its 2002-03 stablemate "The King of Queens" in a comedy block leading into "CSI: NY."

Despite one of the strongest comic casts on television, "Center of the Universe" never clicked when it premiered this fall. CBS delayed the show's premiere on several occasions, preferring procedural repeats as a lead-in for "CSI: NY." Since the show, which stars Goodman, Jean Smart, Olympia Dukakis and Ed Asner, launched in late October, it has averaged just over 9 million viewers per week, losing roughly 1.3 million viewers from "King of Queens."


Despite the show's middling ratings and harsh critical reviews, CBS ordered two addition episodes (beyond the original 13) and six new "Universe" scripts back in November. The comedy aired 12 episodes.

That show was terrible. Yes Dear, although not great, is much better than CotU.

I liked this show. It was a heck of a lot better than Listen Up!

another show that just didnt make it.

Short-Lived Sitcom Potpourri (XXIX) – Star Light, Star Bright (https://jacksonupperco.com/2025/12/03/short-lived-sitcom-potpourri-xxix-star-light-star-bright/)

Thoughts: A capable cast stacked with (https://web.archive.org/web/20140331135444/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/3119997-center-of-the-universe/?view=getnewpost) funny, memorable performers is let down by a generic domestic setup anchored by Roseanne’s John Goodman, whose only primary suggestion by this series (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125247/http://www.jumptheshark.com/c/centeroftheuniverse.htm)’ situation is that he’s the “center” of his family’s “universe” and therefore the one they turn to for solving all their problems. Unfortunately, that elemental notion is nebulous in weekly story after the opener, and there aren’t any unique ideas that comedically show off the talents of these performers, whose characters are, crucially, vaguer than they need to be.