Lifetime has canceled Drop Dead Diva after four seasons.
From creator Josh Berman, the one-hour drama centered on an aspiring model, Deborah "Deb" Dobkins, who was killed in a car crash and is brought back to life as lawyer Jane Bingum (Brooke Elliot).
Lifetime's decision to cancel the expensive drama came after the cable network approached producer Sony Pictures Television for cost-cutting options to continue with the series. Ratings for the season four finale marked a season high, with 2.76 million viewers.
Drop Dead Diva's cancelation comes after Fox opted not to continue with Berman's critically panned and ratings-challenged The Mob Doctor. The series ended its 13-episode run on Jan. 7.
Drop Dead Diva, which aired its final episode in September, also starred Margaret Cho, April Bowlby, Kate Levering, Jackson Hurst, Josh Stamberg, Lex Medlin and Carter MacIntyre.
With Drop Dead Diva no longer on the slate, Lifetime's scripted dramas include Jennifer Love Hewitt's Southern-set The Client List, the long-running Army Wives and the upcoming Marc Cherry soap Devious Maids, along with a big roster of unscripted fare, including Dance Moms, Project Runway and the upcoming The Houstons: On Our Own.
On the development side, the female-focused cable network's pilots include the Renee Zellweger effort Cinnamon Girl, as well as The Secret Lives of Wives, Witches of East End and HR. Lifetime is also developing projects from Hewitt and best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, among others.
