Networks cancel 'The Soup,' 'Bastard Executioner'

One long-running cable series and one short-lived one are about to get the ax. The E! Entertainment network is pulling the plug on "The Soup," its weekly show with host Joel McHale that mocks other television series, The Associated Press reports. McHale has been host for 12 years, and the network said yesterday that he will do the final show on Dec. 18. Meanwhile, FX is canceling the medieval action series "The Bastard Executioner," after only one season. Series creator Kurt Sutter announced the show's cancellation in a series of ads in the Hollywood trade publications. "Executioner" failed to make a hit with either audiences or critics.