Showtime is breaking up its pair of Emmy-winning ladies. Today the network canceled Toni Collette's United States of Tara, but renewed Edie Falco's Nurse Jackie for a fourth season. Both Collette and Falco have earned Emmys for their work on the Showtime comedies.

The shows are currently in their third seasons and air Mondays at 10pm. The season finales will air June 20, though for United States of Tara, it will now mark the series finale.

If the split decision by Showtime seems odd, it doesn't if you look at the ratings. This season United States of Tara is bringing in around 300,000 viewers per episode while Nurse Jackie is doing slightly better, averaging over 500,000 viewers.

The cancellation of United States of Tara comes at a time when Showtime has plenty of other comedies on its lineup. In addition to Nurse Jackie, Weeds, The Big C, Californication and Episodes are all still alive.

Still, it's sad to see Tara go, especially because, as far as I'm concerned, it's a lot better than Nurse Jackie. Falco is fine, but I've never been able to get over the fact that Nurse Jackie isn't really a comedy because there's nothing funny about it.

United States of Tara may not get a proper finale to conclude everything, but I've seen the season 3 finale, and I suppose it can work as an end to the series. It does make it clear that, while most Showtime series are extremely low-rated and pull in under one million viewers, there is a limit to how low the network is willing to go. The show hit a new low with its May 16 episode, earning just 230,000 viewers.

Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara currently air at 10pm and 10:30pm Monday nights on Showtime.

(Image courtesy of Showtime)