Is ‘Undeclared’ Getting Expelled?

If this turns out to be the final episode of “Undeclared� tonight (8:30 p.m., Fox)--and there is every reason to believe it will--you can say the comedy series went out not with a bang but with whimpering.

Lizzie (Carla Gallo) is upset because her friends’ attempts to dye her hair go awry. Steven (Jay Baruchel) mopes because he has to tend to Lizzie’s frazzled psyche instead of joining his buddies in watching videos of naked women. And Eric (Jason Segel) is tormented over his breakup with Lizzie.

Such woe! So few laughs!

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

The first-year show about life at a fictional California college got off to a good start last fall, pulling in decent ratings and winning praise from critics. The Museum of Television & Radio thought enough of the series to include it in the William S. Paley Television Festival last week.

But along the way, the audience began to dwindle, and while Fox hasn’t officially canceled the show, the network certainly delivered a vote of no confidence by cutting the season order from 22 episodes to 17.

That resulted in tonight’s installment having to serve as the season-ender, which is pretty strange, since most of it takes place off-campus as Eric lamely attempts to analyze a phone message to figure out where things stand with Lizzie.

Ben Stiller makes a guest appearance as Eric’s former stepfather, an even sorrier soul than most of the regulars. “There is nothing as good as the love of a good woman,� he tells the younger man. “Except Ecstasy.�

What “Undeclared� does have going for it is a refreshingly natural, non-jokey style of staging and performance. But that goes only so far. Because when the characters are all acting like dolts, realism isn’t actually a positive.