this was posted on live journal:

'I do think it's funny that some fans are putting the blame squarely on ABC's shoulders. Let's face it: Generally speaking, the networks are in it for business, not to keep fans happy. If a show is popular, then they are going to keep promoting it as much as possible. They are going to invest in whatever is a major product for them. (For ABC, this would be "Grey's Anatomy" or "Modern Family".) But once that product starts to drift from the minds of viewers, they're going to pay less attention to it and instead, they'll bank on other things that are still working. Is that fair? Hell, no. But for them, it's good business.

In fact, before we can blame the network, maybe we should blame 'the force' that drives the network's hand - namely, the former fans who left this show to die. As thisisaudo astutely pointed out, the network would've renewed UB if it still had its loyal fan-base intact. However, plenty of them jumped ship long ago (not that I can blame some of them, of course). And that, we know, wasn't ABC's doing. Viewers left on their own free will. With that in mind, something had to turn them off, of course...which is why this eventually comes back to Silvio and his team of writers. (BTW, he's still the head writer and showrunner. So although everyone gets their say, it was generally his direction that they were following at the end of the day.)'

fountainhead98

I don't blame the fans. Season 3 was really hard to watch and it just seemed to drag on and on. They cut down on the Daniel/Betty scenes, had Daniel getting married to a cancer striken woman, and made Betty cartoonish. Now in season 4 the show turned around for the better, but ABC kept changing time slots and it was hard to find it. I primarily blame Silvio and the writers for going so far off track in Season 3 and turning the fans off. I really think if they had given UB a decent time slot in Season 4, more lapsed viewers might have come back, but it's too late now.

frankly speaking, there are a number of factors behind this i could go on and on.

but i have to agree with fountainhead88 from LJ- if more fans had tuned into the show during season 4, this show would NOT have been cancelled. simple. the ratings would have been good enough still for a renewal.

and as i have said before so many times on here- read my season 3 dvd review if you will- i was one of the very few fans of season 3 of ugly betty. people have slated it, panned it- yes it wasn't perfect, but i liked it still.

It is so unloyal of them how could you leave UB to die you are the worst fan ever