MTV Cancels 'The Hard Times of R.J. Berger'

Courtesy of MTV"The Hard Times of R.J. Berger" Despite record ratings for its second-season premiere, MTV has opted not to move forward with its comedy The Hard Times of R.J. Berger. The comedy, which starred Paul Iacono as a well-endowed high school student, premiered strong in March following the Jersey Shore finale, drawing a series-high 3.1 million total viewers. Ultimately, the ratings dropped to less than 1 million viewers per episode. The series helped pave the way for scripted fare on the network, including hourlong supernatural drama Teen Wolf and comedy Awkward. MTV renewed Teen Wolf for a second season in July; Tuesday's installment of high school comedy Awkward hit a series high in the viewers ages 12-34 demographic. A decision on a second season of the comedy starring Ashley Rickards has not yet been made. MTV also has new scripted half-hour comedy Death Valley bowing later this month as well as the January launch of the dramedy I Just Want My Pants Back, with comedy Inbetweeners in production for next year. MTV canceled racy teen drama Skins in June. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit