It was a short return for ABC's drama "Commander in Chief."

The network has pulled the Touchstone TV-produced freshman series off the schedule for the remainder of the season.

Beginning this week, newsmagazine "Primetime" will return to its Thursday 10 p.m. slot.

The three unaired episodes of "Commander" are tentatively slated to air next month.

"Commander" launched with a lot of promise, ranking as the most-watched new series of the season and earning an early full-season pickup (HR 10/20).

But plagued by well-publicized behind-the-scenes turmoil and scheduling interruptions, the drama, starring Geena Davis as the first female president of the U.S., saw a steady decline in the ratings throughout the season.

Early in the series' run, show creator Rod Lurie was replaced as showrunner by Steven Bochco, who, in turn, was replaced at the helm by the show's executive producer Dee Johnson for the final episodes.

After about a three-month hiatus -- "Commander's" second long break from the schedule -- the series returned April 13 in a new time period -- Thursday at 10 p.m. – where it faced an uphill battle against CBS' "Without a Trace" and NBC's "ER."

In its most recent airing, "Commander" hit series lows, posting 6.5 million viewers and a 1.8 rating/5 share among adults 18-49.

That episode also drew strong criticism from officials of Prince George County, Md., who said they were offended by a story line that depicted the county's town of Hyattsville as violent and crime-ridden.

ABC ended up issuing an apology, but emphasized in its statement that the show was fictional work and the reference to Hyattsville was embellished "only to make a more compelling drama for our viewers."