Mischa Barton's The Beautiful Life Canceled After Just Two Episodes

USMagazine, Saturday, September 26, 2009, 8:07am (PDT)

Mischa Barton's return to the small screen has been cut short.

The CW network announced plans to halt production on fashion drama "The Beautiful Life" Friday after just two episodes. After garnering just 1.1 million viewers for its second and final episode, Variety reports the Wednesday night timeslot will be filled by reruns of the network's "Melrose Place" reboot, featuring Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.

Loosely based on executive producer Ashton Kutcher's days as a model, "Life" featured Barton, 23, as a supermodel and veteran of the high-fashion circuit who is struggling to keep on top and is danger of slipping. Corbin Bleu and Elle MacPherson also starred.

The series has faced an uphill battle from its inception.

In July, production on the New York City-based series was postponed after Barton was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for psychiatric evaluation. The actress, who rose to fame as the rebellious Marissa Cooper on The O.C., later denied claims she had a mental breakdown, instead claiming her stay was a result of a "terrible" wisdom tooth surgery."

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