It seems that they get a series with a weak following (I liked it so it must be weak),
and then stop running it all spring and early summer. I figure they are just burning off the waste episodes now. Is that a valid conclusion?
No.
It will return next season. There were several recent threads on this.
Usually, it’s quite valid. In this case, it’s wrong. The show was surprisingly(and happily) renewed and they are airing the rest of the filmed 1st season.
I couldn’t find any at all. Just one thread discussing a single episode, not a related question.