Breaking – Penn to cancel “Undergraduate Assesmbly” after current season

Critically Acclaimed but Lowly Rated Series to Call it Quits in May

Philadelphia, PA (AP) – Penn, the last-place network that has been languishing in the ratings cellar, announced in a statement that the series Undergraduate Assembly will be canceled at the end of the season. Though the series has a cult following and a host of awards, its consistent inability to attract viewer interest led Penn to finally cut its ties with the institution.

Media analyst Walter Jaffe summarized the situation. "UA had a nice run, but it was never able to draw interest from the key demographic of 18-22 year old males, or 18-22 year old females, or anyone."

The series premiered in 1968 as a spinoff of the popular sitcom Humphrey Dumpty, which centered on the wacky antics of Hubert H. Humphery at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. UA itself, which was based on the goings-on of a student government association, could never match the popularity of its predecessor despite an intense promotional blitz every year. "The overarching storylines of adding air conditioning to Hill college house and improving the food at Commons were interesting at first, but they got stale after they literally didn't talk about anything else for 43 straight seasons," said Jaffe. Roger Stearns, a long-time media critic, felt that "the creepy, palpable ambition of the central characters was probably a little too much for Joe Q. Public."

UA's cultural relevance peaked in 2003 when it won an Emmy for "Outstanding Achievement in a Show Nobody Cares About", narrowly edging out both The Wire and Arrested Development. A perennial critical darling, the show also attracted a small but loyal audience throughout its run. "We're just happy that they will have an actual finale, and that they weren't pulled mid-season", remarked Andrew Fuomo, an ardent supporter who "never misses an episode."

Fans such as Fuomo believe the show reached a creative high point in the 2006 episode "18 to Show Up, 21 to Co-Op" that explored the relationship between off-campus fraternity party regulation and sustainable living experiments.

Penn has decided to replace Undergraduate Assembly with The Jay Leno Show. Mr. Leno immediately vowed to "try as hard as he can to get Oasis for Spring Fling."