VH1's 'Celebrity Rehab' Gets (Temporarily?) Shelved

With several factors bearing down upon it recently, VH1's "Celebrity Rehab" looks headed for its very own detox stay.

The one-time music network's 2012 schedule includes neither the talked-about chemical dependency recovery reality show hosted by addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinski, nor its spin-offs "Celebrity Rehab Presents: Sober House" or "Celebrity Rehab Revisited," reports Entertainment Weekly. With all such branded shows currently off the radar, Pinski will reportedly instead put more time toward his recent daytime CW talk show "Lifechangers." VH1, meanwhile, will distance itself from substance-abuse drama and instead roll out "Relationship Rehab," focusing on rebuilding broken bonds  between couples.

A VH1 rep claims that leaving the "Celebrity Rehab" line off the schedule doesn't necessarily indicate cancellation, but rather scheduling priorities. EW points out that other shows, particularly referencing "Celebrity Fit Club," have been benched and retooled to emerge again later.

It's understandable that VH1 might distance itself from addiction-related drama. Since the "Celebrity Rehab" brand has debuted, two alumni have died unexpectedly following stints on the shows. Season Two "Celebrity Rehab" cast member Jef Conaway died in 2011 following prescription drug-related health complications. Alice in Chains bassist and Season Three participant Mike Starr died with a lethal alcohol-and-Xanax cocktail in his system.

The shows' respective presences may prove missed. The flagship "Celebrity Rehab" has produced five total seasons, including two churned out in 2010 alone, and averaged roughly 1 million viewers per episode throughout its run thus far. That's a ways above the network's other shows' 600,000-viewer average per episode, claims EW. "Sober House" aired two season, one each year in 2010 and 2011.